The Other Side of the Mountain

Synopsis: An authoritative, forthright and thought-provoking narrative that attempts to analyse why the Congress lost the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and also focuses on the fluctuating fortunes of the Bharatiya Janata Party and other political parties, besides dealing with crucial issues having a bearing on the country’s future. As a former minister who has held important portfolios in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government, Salman Khurshid has witnessed crucial behind-the-scenes developments that have had a profound impact on the destiny of the nation. Beginning with the reasons for the rout of the Congress in 2014, including the series of scams that sealed its fate, he goes on to point out that the party has the ability to bounce back, given the many setbacks that have affected the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre as well as some BJP-ruled states and the Aam Aadmi Party Government in Delhi. The author next highlights the role of the media, which, he feels, was largely instrumental in ensuring the Congress’s defeat. He, nevertheless, acknowledges that, of late, the fourth estate has not spared the governments in power at the Centre and in the BJP-ruled states and has exposed the chinks in their armour (the growing brazenness of the right-wing forces, the Lalit Modi fallout and the Vyapam-related incidents).
Thereafter, Salman Khurshid turns the spotlight on a range of significant and highly relevant topics, such as international relations (with an emphasis on Pakistan and the USA), the Election Commission’s role, communalism, minority affairs (especially the problems affecting the Muslims), the judiciary (and its overreach), the Nirbhaya tragedy and corruption and its impact, with a cameo on the Anna Hazare movement. Here is an insider’s perspective that is not only incisive and insightful but also vital for understanding the recent events in the political arena and their far-reaching ramifications.