However, the same cannot be said about his book in totality. To be more apt, he’s avoided being mischievous and ended up being superfluous. He is entitled to his views, but as a journalist having written on the 2G matter, I found his account and analysis disappointing. In most cases, then prime minister Manmohan Singh was found to be silent.Ĭhandrasekhar’s account could have been richer and more interesting had he delved deeper into these aspects in his book, but sadly he has dealt with them in a manner of a true bureaucrat-rationally explain them to conclude that there was no wrongdoing either on part of the government or Manmohan Singh. The period has been referred to as the most corrupt in the post-independence period, with the 2G, Commonwealth scam, the Anna Hazare movement, etc, happening during this time. The timing of his being in the highest office a civil servant aspires to be during the United Progressive Alliance government assumes significance.

Prior to that, he also served as revenue secretary in the ministry of finance. KM Chandrasekhar, a 1970-batch, Kerala-cadre IAS officer, served as cabinet secretary in the Manmohan Singh government. Similarly, former cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian’s Journeys through Babudom and Netaland is a must read if one wants to understand both the central and state governments. Tandon, who served as joint secretary in Indira Gandhi’s secretariat, wrote an exhaustive account of those times, which provides rich insights into machinations of our rulers. For the study of Emergency of 1975-77, a perusal of BN Tandon’s PMO Diaries is a must.

Talking of books by civil servants, two works instantly come to mind. Complete list of dry days in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru in 2023

PMO Diary- II by B.N. Tandon