The Untold Vajpayee

The Untold Vajpayee
Author: Ullekh N P
Publisher: Random House India
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2018-01-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9385990810

Despite his grand 'secular' statements in Parliament that bordered on the Nehruvian, Atal Bihari Vajpayee has often taken brief excursions into the hardline camp. In 1983, he made an incendiary speech during the Assam elections in which the presence of 'Bangladeshi foreigners' in the state was a big issue. Even the BJP had disowned Vajpayee's speech, which possibly inspired the massacre of over 2000 people, mostly Muslims, in Nellie in Assam. Vajpayee, one of the shrewdest politicians of India, is known for negotiating multiple contradictions: from militant nationalism to his secret family life; his stint as a communist; his indulgence in food; influence of Gandhi and Nehru; Narendra Modi and Gujarat issues; foreign policies; and his attempt to project himself as a moderate face, if not liberal, among others. Exploring crucial milestones of Vajpayee's career and his traits as a seasoned politician, the book looks at his relationship with leaders of his party and the love-hate association with RSS and its feeder organizations. Thoroughly researched, supported by hard facts and accompanied by inside stories and anecdotes, insightful interviews and archival photographs, The Untold Vajpayee would open a window to the life and times of a poet politician.

A Constructive Parliamentarian

A Constructive Parliamentarian
Author: Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan
Total Pages: 521
Release: 2012-01-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 8184301189

Texts of bills introduced by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the Parliament and related debates on the bills.

Kannur

Kannur
Author: Ullekh
Publisher: Penguin Enterprise
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2022-06
Genre:
ISBN: 9780143456995

Kannur, a sleepy coastal district in the scenic south Indian state of Kerala, has metamorphosed into a hotbed of political bloodshed in the past few decades. Even as India heaves into the age of technology and economic growth, the town has been making it to the national news for horrific crimes and brutal murders with sickening regularity. What makes this region so susceptible to vendetta politics and such deadly violence? How is it an anomaly in Kerala, the state with the highest social development parameters in India? Born in Kannur and brought up amidst some of the tallest political leaders of the state, author Ullekh N.P. delves into his personal experiences while drawing a modern-day graph that charts out the reasons, motivations and the local lore behind the turmoil. He analyses the numbers that lay bare the truth behind the hype, studies the area's political and cultural heritage, and speaks to the main protagonists and victims. With his journalistic skills and years of on-the-field reporting, he paints a gripping narrative of the ongoing bloodbath and the perceptions around it. Ullekh's investigations and interviews reveal a bigger game at work involving players who will stop at nothing to win.

War Room: The People, Tactics and Technology behind Narendra Modi's 2014 Win

War Room: The People, Tactics and Technology behind Narendra Modi's 2014 Win
Author: Ullekh NP
Publisher: Roli Books Private Limited
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2015-01-26
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9351940683

‘War Room stands out as an example of real field work and rigorous research... Anyone who wants to understand how decisions are made in India should read this brilliant study of the BJP.’ —Dr. Walter K. Andersen, Author of The Brotherhood in Saffron: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu Revivalism ‘Ullekh NP has crafted a well-researched and gripping narrative of how the BJP seized the moment in 2014. Its penetrating analysis of the personalities, politics and methods of Modi and Amit Shah makes it a useful resource for answering the major question of India’s near-term political future: Will the BJP in the Modi era realize its ambition of building 2014 to emerge as the dominant party nationwide?’ —Sumantra Bose, Professor of International and Comparative Politics, London School of Economics, Author of Transforming India: Challenges to the World’s largest Democracy ‘Ullekh NP tells the story of Narendra Modi’s campaign to lead the world’s largest democracy. A man “destined to reign on his own terms”, Modi knew that being resilient was more important than being first and fast. Years after War Room is published, people will refer to it as the book that told the story of India’s most spectacular election in May 2014 in all its subtle and magnificent details.’ —Chitra Subramaniam, Award-winning Journalist and Author

Atal Bihari Vajpayee A Man For All Seasons

Atal Bihari Vajpayee A Man For All Seasons
Author: Kingshuk Nag
Publisher: Rupa Publications India Pvt Limited
Total Pages: 200
Release: 2017-01-25
Genre: India
ISBN: 9788129145246

From being one of the earliest members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Vajpayee blossomed into a leading opposition MP by the late 1960s, went on to become external affairs minister in the short-lived Janata government and, finally in 1999, to head the first non-congress government to complete a full Term in Office. That it was a coalition government made the feat all the more remarkable and testifies to the fact that though wedded to a right-wing political ideology, Vajpayee did not believe in the politics of exclusion. A protege of Jana Sangh stalwarts like Syama Prasad Mukherjee and deep Dayal Upadhyaya, Vajpayee won the admiration of Jawaharlal Nehru, was consulted by his daughter Indira Gandhi - whom he never lacked the courage to criticize-and befriended by fiery trade unionists George Fernandes even before they became political allies. He thus displayed an unusual ability to carry along all shades of political opinion - An ability that came to the fore when he headed the National democratic alliance government between 1999 and 2004. And behind this public persona was an unusual personal life, conducted with such dignity as to remain free of innuendo. In this book, journalist Kingshuk Nag traces the political journey of this tall parliamentarian of over four decades, who was conferred the Bharat Ratna in December 2014. Atal Bihari Vajpayee: a man for all seasons is a definitive account of the life and times of one of India's most illustrious non-congress leaders.

Jugalbandi

Jugalbandi
Author: Vinay Sitapati
Publisher: Penguin/Viking
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2020
Genre: India
ISBN: 9780670091072

Narendra Modi has been a hundred years in the making. Vinay Sitapati's Jugalbandi provides this backstory to his current dominance in Indian politics. It begins with the creation of Hindu nationalism as a response to British-induced elections in the 1920s, moves on to the formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1980, and ends with its first national government, from 1998 to 2004. And it follows this journey through the entangled lives of its founding jugalbandi: Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani. Over their six-decade-long relationship, Vajpayee and Advani worked as a team despite differences in personality and beliefs. What kept them together was fraternal love and professional synergy, of course, but also, above all, an ideology that stressed on unity. Their partnership explains what the BJP before Modi was, and why it won. In supporting roles are a cast of characters-from the warden's wife who made room for Vajpayee in her family to the billionaire grandson of Pakistan's founder who happened to be a major early funder of the BJP. Based on private papers, party documents, newspapers and over two hundred interviews, this is a must-read for those interested in the ideology that now rules India.

Kashmir the Vajpayee Years

Kashmir the Vajpayee Years
Author: A.S. with Sinha, Aditya Dulat
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 395
Release: 2017-08-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9352772970

Srinagar in the winter of 1989 was an eerie ghost town witnessing the beginnings of a war dance. The dam burst the night boys from the separatist JKLF group were freed in exchange for the release of Rubaiya Sayeed, the Union home minister's daughter. As Farooq Abdullah had predicted, the government's caving in emboldened many Kashmiris into thinking that azaadi was possible. It was a long, slow haul to regaining control. From then to now, A.S. Dulat has had a continuous engagement with Kashmir in various capacities. The initiatives launched by the Vajpayee government, in power from 1998 to 2004, were the high point of this constant effort to keep balance in a delicate state. In this extraordinary memoir, Dulat gives a sweeping account of the difficulties, successes and near triumphs in the effort to bring back Kashmir from the brink. He shows the players, the politics, the strategies and the true intent and sheer ruthlessness of the meddlers from across the border. Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years paints an unforgettable portrait of politics in India's most beautiful but troubled state.

The Untold Vajpayee

The Untold Vajpayee
Author: N. P. Ullekh
Publisher: Penguin Books
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2018
Genre: India
ISBN: 9780143429173

Amit Shah and the March of BJP

Amit Shah and the March of BJP
Author: Anirban Ganguly
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2019-05-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9388134133

The story of Amit Shah's political life, struggles, rise and triumph is little known. For a leader who is often referred to as the Chanakya of Indian politics, who has dominated India's fast-paced and complex political stage since 2014, has altered its electoral map by leading the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to successive historic victories post the May 2014 general elections, there is very little that is recorded or narrated. So, it's no surprise that the curiosity he evokes is ever on the rise. Most of what is written about Amit Shah is based on conjectures, hearsay, assumptions and biases. The real Amit Shah-the once booth-worker and now national president of the largest political party in the world, the master strategist who has pushed the BJP to an organisational pinnacle and yet talks of scaling peaks, a man who is unhesitant in his stand on nationalism and on anything which concerns India's national interest-has remained in the shadows, self-effaced, away from the limelight. The story of how he expanded the BJP into a pan-India party and the convergence of organisational science and ideology that has made the BJP a unique and formidable political entity is a story that needs to be told. The book narrates the personal and political journey of Amit Shah, captures the ideological world that shaped him and gives an account of the party that he is leading and shaping today. It is for the first time that his story is being told-an authentic, no-holds-barred portrayal of one of the most influential leaders of our times. To the political worker, the observer and to anyone even remotely interested in Indian politics, irrespective of their profession or political leaning, especially since the unfolding of Indian politics in the summer of 2014, this is a captivating exploration of the political life and journey of one of its central characters.

Devil's Advocate

Devil's Advocate
Author: Karan Thapar
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 206
Release: 2018-07-30
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9352779851

Sometime in the late summer of 1976, Sanjay Gandhi asked if I wanted to go flying with him... After first attempting to teach Karan Thapar to fly (not very successfully) Sanjay Gandhi took the controls and performed a series of aerobatics, not particularly dangerous but nonetheless thrilling. Once they were further away from Delhi, he became even more daring. Suddenly, he decided to scare the farmers working in the fields below by aiming the aircraft straight at them. As he dived down, they scattered and ran, fearing for their lives. At the last moment, Sanjay pulled up dramatically and waved at the bewildered farmers, clearly chuffed with the whole performance. The manoeuvre required nerves of steel and tremendous self-confidence, both of which Sanjay possessed in plenty.In Devil's Advocate, Karan dives deep into his life to come up with many such moments. Included here are stories of warm and lasting friendships, such as with Benazir Bhutto, whom he met while he was an undergraduate. He also talks about his long association with Aung San Suu Kyi and Rajiv Gandhi. However, not all friendships lasted--for example, with L.K. Advani, with whom he shared a close bond until an unfortunate disagreement over an interview caused a falling-out.The tension generated during an interview has spilled over off-screen multiple times, and Karan discusses these incidents in detail. For instance, when Amitabh Bachchan lost his cool during a post-interview lunch or when Kapil Dev cried like a baby. And there's the untold story of two of his most controversial interviews--with Jayalalithaa and Narendra Modi. While Jayalalithaa laughed it off later, the after-effects of Modi's infamous walkout have grown worse with time. Riveting and fast-paced, Devil's Advocate is as no-holds-barred as any of Karan Thapar's interviews.