On the Corridors of Power

An astonishingly free and frank eyewitness account of corruption, scandal, inefficiency, conspiracy, dishonesty, favouritism, misgovernance, and lack of transparency at the higher echelons of decision-making in the government. Written in a humorous style, the book contains stories of the kind of games played on the corridors of power and in various ministries. While all the major decisions are taken at the level of the ministers in charge and all the misdeeds are committed by the politicians, they conveniently escape responsibility, and the bureaucrats are invariably made the scapegoats. It is an irony of the system that the real culprits are never summoned or hauled up by the Public Accounts Committee. Not being able to withstand the pressure and the fear of brutal reprisals, good bureaucrats also fall in line, and good people start doings bad things. The author always thought he was a misfit in the system.

The author looked back at his encounters in the Central Ministries with a sense of pride, a sense of fear, a sense of horror, a sense of helplessness, and a sense of frustration. Being a nonconformist from childhood, he did not agree to compromise with any minister, politician, or seniors on issues of principles and propriety. It became increasingly clear to him that no politician or a bureaucrat was interested in thinking of reforms, doing things for public good, or serving people with patriotic fervour. Greed and power had overtaken almost all politicians, making them arrogant, revengeful, and fearful people and a genre of superior species that had no connection with the common people.