Dynastic Politics: Shashi Tharoor Calls Congress "Family-Run" Party, Rahul Gandhi Questions Amit Shah's Son

A day after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor mentioned that the party operates in many ways as a "family-run" organisation, on Tuesday (17 October), another Congress MP from Kerala, Rahul Gandhi questioned what BJP leaders's sons do.

Responding to criticisms over dynastic politics, Gandhi said, "What does Amit Shah's son do exactly? What does Rajnath Singh's son do?" He emphasised the need to objectively assess the BJP's leaders and their children, stating that many of them are dynasts.

Notably, while inaugurating the new office of a US-based Silicon Valley organisation in Technopark Phase 3, Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor suggested that Rahul Gandhi or party president Mallikarjun Kharge could potentially become the next Prime Minister from the Congress.

Tharoor shared his thoughts with reporters at the event, stating, “Think that once the result comes out, then because it's a coalition and not one party, the leaders of those parties will have to get together and pick someone. But my guess is that from the Congress Party, it's going to be either Mr. Kharge, who then will be the first Dalit prime minister of India, or Rahul Gandhi, since in very many ways it (Congress) is a family-run party.”

He added, as reported by news agency ANI, “But at the same time, the merit of the parliamentary system is that the prime minister is the first among equals and other ministers also have great responsibility for their work, so whatever responsibility is assigned to me, I am confident I can do work.”

Tharoor also commented on the system of electing representatives, highlighting the differences between India's parliamentary system and the American system. He noted that the parliamentary system involves the party deciding whom to put forward, whereas in the American system, voters decide through primaries.

Tharoor emphasized the significance of the party's role in India, stating that individual merit alone does not determine political success.

The remarks by Tharoor come in the context of a larger political discourse on dynasty politics, and this topic gained attention when Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised parties like Congress and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), labeling them as "family-run parties."

Amit Shah also has consistently criticised Gandhi, branding him as the "unmeritorious symbol of dynastic politics." These comments were reiterated in April, countering the Opposition's claim of a threat to democracy. According to Shah, the real threats are "parivarwad" (dynastic politics), the "autocracy of his (Gandhi's) family," and casteism.