Author: Janardan Thakur
Publisher: Eeshwar
Year: 1999
Language: English
Pages: 456
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8186982728
Description
This is the story of five decades of Indian politics as seen through the life and times of the twelve Prime Ministers between 1947 and 1999. Well-researched and documented, it is a remarkable tour de force in contemporary political writing.
The author has combined reportage and analysis to depict the personalities of the main personae, their triumphs and failures, their follies and foibles. In the process, he takes a candid look at the problems that beset the country right from the first days of freedom.
The author has drawn upon his long and varied experience as a political writer and journalist with a ring side view, to bring to life an astonishing array of secondary characters who played varied roles in the country's political drama at various points of time. He is at times sympathetic, at times merciless, in his assessments, but never partisan.
CONTENTS: The Backdrop - The Mountbatten machine / Jawaharlal Nehru - Between two idioms / Lal Bhadur Shastri - The little colossus / Indira Gandhi - Hat trick from Allahabad / Morarji Desai - Hot-line to God / Charan Singh - All for a tinsel crown / Mrs. G Again - Changing political worlds / Raj Gandhi - Anti-politician who failed / Vishwanath Pratap Singh - Raja nahi faquir hai / Chandra Shekhar - A ride at last! / P V Narasimha Rao - Five years on the razor's edge / Atal Behari Vajpayee - Jaoon to Jaoon Kahan? / H D Deve Gowda - 'Who? Me? Prime Minister?' / Inder Kumar Gujral - Mr. India International / Vajpayee is Back - A vanishing ray in the mist / summing up / Bio-data / Select Bibliography