Controversy has been caused by a scathing article by senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor labeling dynastic politics as a serious threat to the Indian democracy, with a specific reference to the Nehru-Gandhi family, which has solidified political leadership as a birthright, and demands political reforms to make India more meritocratic.
Published in Project Syndicate and published widely in the Indian media due to its scathing critique of the practice of dynastic succession in the Indian major parties (his own Congress, regional parties such as the Samajwadi Party, DMK, and Shiv Sena), the essay by Shashi Tharoor was condemnatory of the practise. Tharoor also contended that leadership should not be chosen on the basis of its lineage but on the basis of ability, and grassroots involvement; he suggested several reforms, including term limits and real internal elections would help to achieve a meritocracy.
Tharoor made incisive comments, which caused an uneasiness among the congress, with some of its allies in the party refusing to comment despite increasing media coverage. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not slow in applauding Tharoor, with their spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala describing Tharoor as Khatron ke Khiladi (daredevil), noting how brave Tharoor was in taking on the Gandhi family and threatening him of a possible backlash. The leaders of BJP suggested that the comments of Tharoor supported their long-running criticism of the Congress ruling by family, and some called his essay an attack on Rahul Gandhi and other heirs of Indian political families.
Tharoor has noted that Congress is not the only party involved in dynastic politics and said that the phenomenon is a negative one to the parties across the Indian political spectrum. His message to India that India should replace dynasty with meritocracy was seen by observers as a preserve of questioning the status quo in Congress but also a general call to the political and political leadership of the entire country to reform.
The point by Tharoor has rekindled the discussion on dynastic politics in India, making it a matter of concern in the public and escalating inter-party tensions prior to forthcoming political activities.
