Tharoor's statement comes a week after three MPs including RJD leader Lalu Prasad and Congress' Rashid Masood, were disqualified as members of Parliament following their conviction in different cases.
Interacting with students of The Doon School here yesterday, the Union Minister of state for HRD said, "Criminalisation of politics and politicisation of criminals is a bitter reality of our times but it will end only when educated middle class sheds its inhibitions about joining politics."