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In Indias Politics: A View from the Backbench, Bimal Jalan, ex-Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and best-selling author of The Future of India, turns his gaze to the complex mechanics of the political system in the country. As a member of Parliament, Bimal Jalan has watched the workings of Indias politics closely. While there is much to be proud of in Indias achievements as a vibrant democracy, there are some areas of concern which require attention. In particular, Jalan finds that the emergence of multi-party coalitions as a regular form of governmentand their relatively short life expectancy at birthhas brought about a sea change in political dynamics. The search for power and the compulsions of coalition politics are increasingly the primary drivers of political behaviour in India today. This development combined with the need to cope with global terrorism, lawlessness and economic disparities during a period of high growth, calls for some urgent reforms in the working of Indias vital political institutions. Jalan puts forward a ten-point programme to make Indias parliamentary democracy more stable, transparent and accountable. According to him, constant vigilance is indeed the price of liberty and if some of the emerging trends are not reversed, Indias democracy by the people could become more and more oligarchicof the few and for the few. Indias Politics: A View from the Backbench is an insiders account of how politics is practiced in India, and to what effect. It is one of the most important studies of the Indias political system to have been written. This paperback edition contains a new preface, taking stock of recent political developments. About The Author Bimal Jalan is one of Indias well-known economists. He was Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1997 to 2003, demitting office on his nomination to the Upper House of Parliament by the President for distinguished service to the country. He has held several top positions in the ministries of finance and industry and in the Planning Commission. He was also Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and represented India on the boards of the IMF and the World Bank. He was educated at Presidency College, Calcutta and Cambridge and Oxford universities. His books include Indias Economic Crisis: The Way Ahead (1991), Indias Economic Policy: Preparing for the Twenty-first Century (1996), Indias Economy in the New Millennium (2002) and, as editor, The Indian Economy: Problems and Prospects (Revised edition, 2004)

In Indias Politics: A View from the Backbench, Bimal Jalan, ex-Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and best-selling author of The Future of India, turns his gaze to the complex mechanics of the political system in the country. As a member of Parliament, Bimal Jalan has watched the workings of Indias politics closely. While there is much to be proud of in Indias achievements as a vibrant democracy, there are some areas of concern which require attention. In particular, Jalan finds that the emergence of multi-party coalitions as a regular form of governmentand their relatively short life expectancy at...  Read More