Goa governor made the remarks at an event.
Goa Governor Mridula Sinha on Friday said there are some leaders who are "accidental" and "foisted" into top positions by others.
Ms Sinha did not name any political leader, but her comments came at a time when a film on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, "The Accidental Prime Minister", has hit cinema theatres.
The film is based on a book of the same name written by journalist Sanjaya Baru, who was Singh's media adviser.
"There are many types of leaders, some of them are even accidental, and are foisted into the position by others," she said at an event organised by a B-school.
"They are made (as leaders) and asked to do some chores. How much work he can do, whether he has quality or not, or has studied issues, these things do not matter," the governor said.
Ms Sinha further said, "The accidental leaders do wake up to the responsibilities after given the position. It is not that the accidental leader will not work after he is appointed.
"When his responsibilities increase, he tries to inculcate leadership qualities."
A successful political leader is one who is sensitive and understands the pain of others, Ms Sinha maintained.
"In politics, a leader needs to be sensitive. If the person does not have the ability to understand the pain of others, he cannot be a successful leader," she added.