The Accidental Prime Minister is a memoir by Indian policy analyst Sanjaya Baru, who was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s media advisor from May 2004 till August 2008. The author describes how he was given this important position in the very first chapter, in which he says - ‘Working in a PMO headed by Manmohan Singh, whom I had come to respect as a professional and a human being, was an opportunity not to be missed’.
The book offers valuable insights into the Prime Minister’s mind, his personality, strategies, and his style of working. A reader interested in having an inside view of the Indian political system would find the detailed description discussions and decision making processes extremely interesting. It is essentially a combination of personal, subjective and objective accounts of Dr. …show more content…
However, people hoping to obtain intimate secrets of the Prime Mister’s Office would be disappointed as most of the information put forth by the author was already available to the public. Though Mr. Baru has had to leave out large chunks of classified information due to the Official Secrets Act, it is likely that this is also due to his own solidarity towards the PM. The book although engaging, gives away a slightly narcissistic vibe. Nevertheless, it presents many unknown and interesting aspects about Dr. Singh’s journey as the Prime Minister of India. It calls us to evaluate not only Dr. Singh’s role in the growth and progress of India but also the overall drawbacks and corruption faced by the Indian government today. It is a valuable resource for young politicians who are likely to take up roles such as these in the future. The Accidental Prime Minister gives a great insiders account of Indian political life and an overall view of the Manmohan Singh era. The book, though overly detailed, provides a student of political science a great deal of information about the live action politics during that period in our country’s
The book offers valuable insights into the Prime Minister’s mind, his personality, strategies, and his style of working. A reader interested in having an inside view of the Indian political system would find the detailed description discussions and decision making processes extremely interesting. It is essentially a combination of personal, subjective and objective accounts of Dr. …show more content…
However, people hoping to obtain intimate secrets of the Prime Mister’s Office would be disappointed as most of the information put forth by the author was already available to the public. Though Mr. Baru has had to leave out large chunks of classified information due to the Official Secrets Act, it is likely that this is also due to his own solidarity towards the PM. The book although engaging, gives away a slightly narcissistic vibe. Nevertheless, it presents many unknown and interesting aspects about Dr. Singh’s journey as the Prime Minister of India. It calls us to evaluate not only Dr. Singh’s role in the growth and progress of India but also the overall drawbacks and corruption faced by the Indian government today. It is a valuable resource for young politicians who are likely to take up roles such as these in the future. The Accidental Prime Minister gives a great insiders account of Indian political life and an overall view of the Manmohan Singh era. The book, though overly detailed, provides a student of political science a great deal of information about the live action politics during that period in our country’s