‘India is being run by dynasties’

Team Udayavani, Sep 13, 2017, 9:11 AM IST

Washington : Brushing off suggestions that the the Congress party is synonymous with dynastic politics, party vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that dynasties are a fact of life in India, whether it be in politics or business. He insisted that the real test of a person is not pedigree but ability.

His comments in the US set off a chorus of protest by the BJP in India with Union Minister Smriti Irani calling him a “failed dynast” and a failed politician. Speaking at the University of California, Berkeley, Rahul also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of divisive politics, creating space for terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and ruining the economy.

Responding to a question from students, he said that he was “absolutely ready” to take up an executive responsibility if the party asked him to do so. Responding to another question whether the Congress party was more associated with dynastic politics, Rahul argued that India is being run by dynasties. He listed several prominent Indians born into famous families.