Congress promoting surnames over merit, claims BJP

The issue of dynastic politics was raked up again by BJP after it accuses Congress of encouraging only those young leaders who were "somebody's" son and promoting "surnames over merit".

The issue of dynastic politics was raked up again by BJP on Monday after it accuses Congress of encouraging only those young leaders who were "somebody's" son and promoting "surnames over merit".

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"While (US President) Obama can come from nowhere and win the elections, here in India a leader in Congress has to be a big man's son. Each one of the Congress leaders in the youth category shows that to get an entry one has to be somebody's son," BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley told reporters.

Jaitley said Congress was the only party which "had no difficulty in saying surnames matter over merit" for entry into public life.

The BJP alleged that due to this, Congress will have a "three-legged race" in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. "There will be an ostensible leader and a real leader in this campaign," Jaitley said, without naming any politician.

Earlier, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said due to Congress, the country was "faced with a challenge where the entire political philosophy was vested in a family".

He said the electorate had to choose between "merit and dynasty, governance and probation, democracy and monarchy, ability and usurpation, wisdom and hollowness".