New Delhi: Launching a scathing attack on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday termed the Congress scions latest observation on dynasty politics in India a "national disgrace".

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"Rahul Gandhi's statement (in the US) is a national disgrace and an onslaught on the wisdom of the Indian people. It is about time the real potential of the Indian democracy is realised. And that can be done only when merit, and merit alone, the ability to lead and the ability to deliver will really determine the leadership," Jaitley told Times Now news channel.

Speaking at an event at the University of California, Berkeley, on September 11, Rahul Gandhi had said that most Indian political parties were dynastic and Indian politics functioned like that.

Jaitley said that at a time when India was producing world leaders in various fields, including science and technology, medicine and economics, it was a national disgrace to tie up the country's politics to dynasties.

"It is national disgrace for somebody to say as far as politics is concerned we can only depend on a few families. Please don't forget politics influences policy. Therefore, politics deserves much better. It deserves the best.

"When you become prisoners to a dynasty, or a political system becomes crowd around a family, then at least in the 21st century you can't get the best out of that system. I think India deserves much better than a leadership based only on dynasty," the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader said.