Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has strongly criticised the prevalence of family rule in Indian politics. In an article published in a Malayalam newspaper, Mr. Tharoor said, it is time to rely on ability rather than family background in political leadership.

He called for legal restrictions on the tenure of political posts and for compulsory and meaningful internal elections within parties. Mr. Tharoor also stressed the need to empower voters so that leaders are chosen based on merit.

He pointed out that the true spirit of democracy cannot be achieved as long as Indian politics continues to function as a family enterprise. Mr. Tharoor also observed that the process of selecting leaders in most political parties remains non transparent, except in a few cases.