Mani Shankar Aiyar, who was the late Rajiv Gandhi (RG)바카라s trusted aide for six years, ends his present book with a poignant note: 바카라바카라 my life in politics rose in spurts to its highs and then spluttered out to the point where I find myself sidelined by Rajiv Gandhi바카라s heirs and marginalised even in the party바카라.
That did not prevent Aiyar from working with profound sincerity over three decades to find an answer to RG바카라s question to him, soon after his electoral defeat in January 1990: 바카라People say I am arrogant. Am I?바카라 This long journey to find an answer led him to evaluate most of RG바카라s policy decisions and their reverberations. This, he thought, would be the fitting tribute to 바카라India바카라s Most Misunderstood Prime Minister바카라.
Normally memoirs of all such high-level aides are replete with instances on how they had influenced the decisions taken by their political bosses. Not so in this case-- Aiyar cautions his readers that RG had kept his aides 바카라in watertight compartments of sectoral responsibility바카라 and 바카라woe to him or her who attempted to cross into zones not their own바카라. He frankly admits that he 바카라was in no sense an 바카라insider바카라 to RG바카라s policy decisions바카라.
Aiyar provides convincing answers with evidence in his events- filled treatise. He re-examines how RG tackled different situations during his 5-year tenure as Prime Minister and presents justification for each policy decision. The list covers six successful domestic security accords which boosted RG바카라s image, six internal controversies which darkened his reputation, five foreign policy initiatives, especially opening out to China, which heightened his international stature and several domestic programmes like technology missions, Panchayati Raj et al.
RG was transparent and trusting, assuming that 바카라others shared his values바카라. 바카라Not having striven for power, he did not quite understand what made others power-hungry바카라. He did the right thing for the country even if it went against his political party바카라s interests. He delegated responsibility to others and expected them not to violate his trust. Their betrayal gave the impression that RG appeared 바카라so often to not have been in control of what is happening around him and, in his name.바카라
Aiyer examines RG바카라s successful 바카라accords바카라 first --the Punjab, Assam, Mizoram, Rajiv-Farooq, J&K and Darjeeling-- which calmed pockets of domestic turbulence to varying degrees, which The New York Times August 4, 1985, described as 바카라proving the essential unity of India바카라. He then turns his attention to 바카라The Controversies바카라 (Shah Bano, Babri Masjid, Operation Brasstacks, IPKF and Bofors), devoting nearly 100 pages, where, as is his wont, he does not mince his words while analysing the roles of many of RG바카라s friends and colleagues who let him down.
Aiyer directs his rapier sharp prose towards V.P. Singh, Jagmohan, Arun Nehru, Arif Mohammed Khan, Arun Sigh and Gen. K. Sundarji for deviations while managing these problems. He quotes Daniel Latifi Supreme court judgment on 28 September 2001to justify RG바카라s stand on Shah Bano case and Delhi High court 4 February 2004 verdict (Justice J.D. Kapoor) on Bofors (바카라not a scintilla of evidence바카라), confirmed by the Supreme Court on 2 November 2018. By that time, RG was already assassinated. 바카라Yet nothing so damaged Rajiv Gandhi as Bofors바카라.
However, Aiyer blames RG for not agreeing to his aides바카라 advice or even consulting them which resulted in severe controversies: One was the sacking of Foreign Secretary A.P. Venkateswaran on 27 January 1987 during a presser to discuss 바카라Operation Brasstacks바카라, despite his principal secretary바카라s advice. In this Aiyer became the victim as Venkateswaran thought that he was responsible for his dismissal. The second was agreeing to position IPKF as a buffer from Tamil insurgents and Sri Lankan Army when President Jayawardene 바카라drew RG aside into an adjacent room바카라. 바카라He acted decisively-and took on his chin the consequences바카라.
In 1988, I had a similar experience of RG discarding conventional protocol, while I was the Chief Staff officer of our External Intelligence Chief. PM wanted to check the progress of an extremely sensitive external intelligence operation. In the absence of my chief, I reported at PM Residence with my maps and charts. I was stunned when I was ushered in first despite my status as a junior Joint Secretary, over the waiting Minister of State for External Affairs and Foreign Secretary.
I conclude with Aiyer바카라s words: 바카라What made him a good man-compassionate, diligent, honest, upright, unruffled, bold, truthful-was what felled him as PM바카라. What he lacked was 바카라the guile, deviousness and deceit which may have helped him become a more long-lasting PM바카라.
THE RAJIV I KNEW : AND WHY HE WAS INDIA바카라S MOST MISUNDERSTOOD PRIME MINISTER BY MANI SHANKAR AIYAR (JUGGERNAUT BOOKS 2024)
Vappala Balachandran is a former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat
