Dynasty bad for democracy, I denied BJP MPs' children tickets: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said a conscious decision was taken to not give tickets to children of Bharatiya Janata Party members of Parliament for assembly polls as dynastic politics is dangerous for democracy and the party is against it, sources said.

Addressing the BJP parliamentary party meeting against the backdrop of the party's stupendous performance in the recent elections, Modi also gave a task to MPs from the five states where polls were held, to identify at least 100 booths in their respective constituencies where the BJP got relatively fewer votes and identify the reasons, the sources said.

The meeting felicitated both Modi and BJP president J P Nadda for the party's election victory in four of the five states.

This was the first BJP parliamentary party meeting after the resumption of the budget session, and was addressed by both Modi and Nadda. 

Briefing reporters about the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Ministry Pralhad Joshi said, Modi told the meeting that there is an "atmosphere against dynastic politics in the country and respecting this sentiment of the people, the BJP took a decision to not give tickets to family members of its leaders. The decision was accepted and applauded by the party leaders".

On India's evacuation efforts from war-torn Ukraine, Modi told the MPs that when the government was working on their safe return, some political leaders were trying to politicise the issue and making statements without proper and accurate statistics and details. Joshi said.

Talking about Nadda's address to the meeting, Joshi said the BJP president briefed the MPs about the party's performance in the recently held assembly polls and how the party changed the style of politics from anti-incumbency to pro-incumbency.

Addressing the party MPs, Modi underlined that dynastic politics is a threat to democracy, and he took the responsibility of denying tickets to several children of MPs and even told them it was because of him they were refused tickets, the sources said.

Modi also asserted that in order to fight dynastic politics, the BJP has to put a check on such practices within the organisation, sources in the party said.

In the recently concluded assembly polls in five states, the BJP retained power in four, including politically crucial Uttar Pradesh. Several MPs of the party were also eyeing tickets for their children.

Modi also appreciated the recently-released film The Kashmir Files and suggested that such movies should be made more often, the sources said.

According to BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, who was present in the meeting, Modi categorically stated that the BJP is against dynastic politics and that is why family members of party leaders were not given tickets.

However, the prime minister also thanked the MPs for their support to the party in the elections, Tiwari said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also gave a presentation on the evacuation exercise under Operation Ganga to help rescue stranded Indians leave Ukraine, sources said.