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Between the Lines is a classic among books on politics. It set a new trend in reporting which uncovered the dark, vicious conspiracies behind the events. Never before had reporting been so candid and so revealing. The author had benefited from a ringside view which he had in the sixties and the seventies as Press Officer to Home Minister, Govind Ballabh Pant and his successor, Lal Bhadur Shastri.

For the first time, you can read the full story about why the switch over to Hindi did not take place and why English and Hindi were both declared as link languages. The book also has a diary of the author on day-to-day developments of China’s war against India in 1962, the debacle of our armed forces and helplessness of government at New Delhi.

Written in readable, easy style, the book also describes the pulls and pressures for rupee’s devaluation which turned out to be a disaster for the nation. The author, privy to the wrangles within the Congress on the succession to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, tells why Shastri was chosen in preference to Mrs Indira Gandhi and then why she got the position and not Morarji Desai. Many other things come to light—such things which will add to your knowledge of Indian politics. The passage of time has only made mysteries more mysterious, simple issues more tangled and political plots more intriguing.