Shashi Tharoor’s critique of dynastic politics sparks unease within Congress

Thiruvananthapuram — Senior Congress leader and CWC member Shashi Tharoor has triggered unease within his party after a hard-hitting critique of dynastic politics, with some leaders reportedly urging the Congress high command to consider disciplinary action against him.

In an article published in a Malayalam daily titled “Dynastic Politics: A Threat to Indian Democracy,” Tharoor argued that India must transition from family-based rule to merit-based leadership — a stance many in the party view as an implicit criticism of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Tharoor wrote that the political dominance of the Nehru-Gandhi lineage — from Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi to Rajiv, Rahul, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra — has perpetuated the idea that political leadership is a hereditary entitlement.

“The dominance of political families undermines democracy,” he stated, arguing that dynastic politics erodes accountability, lowers governance quality, and allows leaders to depend on surnames rather than competence.

The former Union Minister also contended that such families often accumulate financial and institutional power over time, continuing to attract disproportionate political donations.

Citing a study, Tharoor noted that 149 political families currently have multiple members in state assemblies, while 11 Union ministers and nine chief ministers hail from political dynasties. He further pointed out that in the last 25 years, no MP under the age of 40 has been elected to the Lok Sabha without family lineage.

Tharoor’s critique extended beyond the Congress, naming regional parties such as the Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, Lok Janshakti Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, People’s Democratic Party, DMK, and Bharat Rashtra Samithi as examples of entrenched dynastic control.

He called for sweeping reforms, including transparent internal party elections, legal term limits, and policies promoting merit-based leadership.

While some within the Congress privately acknowledge the validity of his arguments, others consider his remarks ill-timed and politically damaging, especially with key state and national elections approaching.

Congress leaders in Kerala — where Tharoor serves as a member of the state core committee — have so far avoided public comment, but insiders say his article has reignited concerns about his uneasy relationship with the party’s central leadership.

Tharoor, who contested the AICC presidential election in 2022 and has often taken independent positions on policy issues, is once again being viewed as voicing dissent in public. Party strategists fear that his remarks could hand fresh ammunition to the BJP, which has long accused the Congress of being a “family-run enterprise.”

With inputs from IANS