Shashi Tharoor emphasizes Gandhi family’s significance in Congress

Shashi Tharoor issued a clarification over his family-run party remarks and said that it was not a formal statement and his comments were being misinterpreted.

New Delhi: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor issued a clarification over his family-run party remarks and said that it was not a formal statement and his comments were being misinterpreted, adding that the Gandhi family is the strength of the party.

In a post on X (former Twitter) on Tuesday, Shashi Tharoor said,” I see that a remark I made at a private event, which was not a formal statement crafted for public consumption, is being misrepresented by the usual people. Yes, I have frequently stated that the Nehru/Gandhi family’s DNA is inextricably tied up with that of the Congress Party. The family is the strength of the party.” “What I left unstated is that I have no doubt that Rahul Gandhi would be the overwhelming choice of Congress party workers in any poll within the party,” he added.

---

Earlier on Monday, responding to a question at an event in Thiruvananthapuram on not being a Prime Ministerial candidate from the party, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday said that Rahul Gandhi could become Prime Minister since Congress is in many ways a ‘family-run’ party.

Inaugurating the new office of a US-based Silicon Valley company at Technopark Phase 3 in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, Shashi Tharoor said that either Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge or Rahul Gandhi could become PM from the Congress.

“My guess is from the Congress party either Mr Kharge who will then be the first Dalit Prime Minister of India or Rahul Gandhi since in many ways it is a ‘family-run’ party. But at the same time, the merit of the parliamentary system is 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.” The remark came even as the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi made an effort to distance himself from dynastic politics when the question was posed to him at a news conference in Aizawl, Mizoram On Tuesday.

“What is exactly the son of Amit Shah doing? What does Rajnath Singh’s son do? last I heard, Amit Shah’s son is running Indian cricket. Many of their (BJP) children like Anurag Thakur, are dynasties” Rahul Gandhi said in an effort to put the ball back in the BJP court.

Meanwhile at his address to young professionals, Tharoor while explaining the system of electing representatives said that a candidate’s individual merit was not the singular reason to choose him to contest.

“Our system is very different from the American system. The parliamentary system means the party decides who to put forward in these situations. Even whom to give tickets is given by the party unlike in America where voters decide through a primaries system” said Tharoor.

“It’s not possible to have an Obama type career in India. We are a vast country, we have 543 parliamentary seats and it is not the individual merit of one person that matters,” he added.