Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday clarified his article in which he criticised dynastic politics in India. After days of harsh criticism for ‘backstabbing’ the Congress, a party often questioned for promoting dynastic politics, Tharoor has now issued a clarification. He put an end to rumours and speculation that all is not well between the grand old party and him.
He clarified that his remarks were not about the Nehru family but were “a complete misrepresentation” of his original article.
He said the piece focused on a wider social phenomenon in India, where professions often pass down generations.
He added that he had referred to several political parties, not just the Congress, to highlight how dynastic patterns persist across national and regional outfits.
#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: On his article, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor says, “It was not about the Nehru family. It was a complete misrepresentation of the article. The article was about a social phenomenon in our country, where professions go from down the family tree.… pic.x.com/5BHNc4aJ5C
— ANI (@ANI) November 14, 2025
“The unfortunate truth is that this limits how our political democracy functions. I have always advocated for greater inner-party democracy,” he said.
Tharoor said that the dynastic politics across the political spectrum posed a “grave threat” to Indian democracy and asserted that it is high time India traded “dynasty for meritocracy”.
Meanwhile, talking about NDA leading in the Bihar elections counting today, he emphasised that only the Election Commission’s final declaration of results should be treated as the conclusion.
He stated that while the alliance must go through its shortcomings, the Congress was not the senior partner and the RJD, too, must introspect.
Tharoor added that the election outcomes depend on several factors and need an overall assessment. Pointing to the last-minute perks given to women voters before the Model Code of Conduct, calling the practice legal but unhealthy.
He further stated that similar tactics have been seen in other states, requesting a detailed, data-driven analysis of the results.