Speaking Truth to Power

Category Politics Non-Fiction
Format Hardcover and Paperback
Imprint Rupa
Price 595

ISBN: 978-81-291-5106-3
Pages: 220 pages
Date: 1 February 2018

ABOUT THIS BOOK

In a parliamentary democracy, citizens wish to hear articulate voice of an articulate Opposition that can offer reasoned criticism of the government and suggest alternative policy solutions to the challenges faced by the country. In 2017, P. Chidambaram braved misinterpretation, criticism and abuse to emerge as that voice.

From the reckless adventure of demonetisation to the flawed GST to the Central government’s economic report card that had to be marked ‘Fail’, Speaking Truth to Power is a collection of his incisive essays published in 2017 as a weekly column in The Indian Express. These are on a range of subjects that capture the reality of India more effectively than the country’s GDP does—for instance, hunger, children, privacy and intolerance, among others. The book reveals why there is a pervasive sense of disappointment after forty-three months of the Narendra Modi government.

Following principles of fidelity to truth and unbiased criticism based on sound logic, Chidambaram is at his characteristic best in Speaking Truth to Power.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

P. Chidambaram is a former Union Minister of Finance and Home in the Government of India. Currently, he is a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs. He is an eminent lawyer practising in the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts. A public intellectual and author, collections of his essays in 2016 and 2017 were published to wide acclaim under the titles Standing Guard and Fearless in Opposition, respectively. P. Chidambaram writes a weekly column on economy, politics, social issues, foreign policy and contemporary affairs in The Indian Express, a leading newspaper. He is a member of the Indian National Congress, the country’s oldest political party, and a trustee of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.