Standing Guard: A Year in Opposition

Authored by P. Chidambaram, one of India’s best-known politicians, Standing Guard offers a keen economic and political analysis of India@2015—the tumult of the 2015 Bihar election, the debates surrounding the Land Acquisition Amendment ordinances and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, and the alarming rise of intolerance. In this rare collection of essays, Chidambaram refuses to shy away from any subject, no matter how contentious. With characteristic candour he examines issues as varied as the true mandate of the Reserve Bank of India, the implications of the Union Budgets, the successes and failures of the United Progressive Alliance governments, and the formidable challenges that lie ahead of the Modi regime. Equally, the author presents a compass for the future—underscoring the need for humility while administering a complex nation and for accommodating Opposition voices for the greater common good. In presenting, at once, a critique and a constructive road map, this book plays out the true meaning of a vibrant democracy—a system of governance in which the Opposition stands guard and remains as responsible as the government of the day. Standing Guard is evidence why P. Chidambaram is considered not just an accomplished economist and administrator, but also a statesman of the finest calibre.