THE PARADOXICAL PRIME MINISTER - HB Hardcover – 26 October 2018

I have visited India for 15+ years and had planned my semi retirement in India. I found a beautiful house to rent with a lovely family and I love India. I have lived all over world, Thailand, Australia, UK, , Sweden- and India and travelled extensively. Indian people are lovely, my house is lovely. DONE! 6 months, Sweden, 6 months India EXCEPT, to my dismay, over the last 4 years things changed in India. Women were chased in Mumbai for wearing Western clothing, The rules for foreigners changed, A banking system emerged that is only available to Indians (like China) and suddenly, what I had considered the most religiously tolerant country in the world was quickly emerging into one that was not.I knew that Mr Modi was not what he portrayed "A Man of the People" but Shashi Tharoor's writing and intelligent research into the "Modi rise to fame" leaves us pondering. No press conferences, his picture all over India, even in Amritsar at Indian oil stations... So similar to Istanbul and Mr Ergodan... Use of social media as a platform ...We foreingers who visit India on a regular basis have noticed the change... The people are still lovely, The nature and the beauty is present but there is an underlying fear.The Paradoxal Prime Minister is a must read to clarify this change.

Though Tharoor's latest book may be motivated by political compulsions, it is most timely for the dispassionate voter in the forthcoming Parliamentary elections. By presenting a lucid & incisive analysis of Namo's personality, politics & his rule, Tharoor shouts to be heard, especially against the recent background of the relentless deification of the Modi persona, using the combined might of the govt & the ruling party. He examines Modi's personality & conduct thoroughly, including his claims & criticisms thereof & reveals a carefully constructed image boasting of humble background , great achievements, but prone to ultra conservatism, divisive & majoritarian politics. Tharoor points out ,with some glee that Modi's B.A & M,A degrees remain unsubstantiated till now by the concerned universities. He also quotes several slip-ups by Modi in his speeches involving historical inaccuracies, scientific ignorance ( Ganesha & plastic surgery in ancient India ) & exaggerations in reporting economic performance of the govt , which shows Modi to be nowhere near the infallible leader his followers have tried to depict.Tharoor's wide reading, erudition & familiarity with most aspects of our political & economic lives come in handy while dissecting the various aspects of the Modi regime. His ready wit, ever willing to pounce on any available source for a great quote ,is a big weapon in his armoury. While discussing the outsized nature of Modi's cabinet ( against the poll promise of ' minimum govt, maximum governance' ), he quotes his own tweet about being a Minister of State , " M.o.S is like standing in a cemetery : there are lots of people under you , but no one is listening ". There are enough wisecracks like this one throughout the book to keep us entertained.Tharoor condemns strongly Modi's ' obdurate refusal to speak, let alone condemn' the various atrocities committed on minorities during his rule, esp. cow vigilantism, leading to the unfortunate impression that the PM condones these actions.The economic performance of the govt., often cited as a strong point, is dismissed by Tharoor, citing its poor record in key areas such as job creation, exports, investments, wages, & fund allocation to sectors like health, & education, likely to affect the poorer sections. Predictably, the author is devastating in his analysis of demonetization, which he sums up as ' an ill-conceived scheme, ill-planned, poorly thought through, badly implemented & executed '. Even a highly desirable initiative like GST comes in for criticism in Tharoor's hands for its rushed introduction, multiplicity of rates, non-inclusion of major areas like petroleum products, high tariffs, excruciating number of returns to be filed even by small businesses etc. Tharoor is on less sure ground when he takes up Modi's foreign policy initiatives. He bemoans the lack of solid achievements on the ground level , esp. in relations with our hostile neighbours, China & Pakistan, in spite of some furious activity. He is on more solid ground when he points out the blunders made in relations with our neighbouring states, esp. Nepal & Maledives.The book deserves to be read by the discerning public in an election year for its systematic & wide coverage of the ruling govt's record, thorough research & elegant, witty presentation, though a bit repetitive at times. ( Caution ; fact checker to be used when in doubt )..

The media could not be loaded. Its like quality material, not too heavy, just started reading it. This is my first book of politics, lets hope its worth it.

If you love some one, it does not mean you overlook his wrong deeds. This book is for whom who knows only one aspect of the present prime minister. I was personally very much attached with swatch Bharat campaign but till today it appears hollow as swachhta within Bharat is elusive. There are many other issues such as Pollution, Population , Public-health, Education system, unemployment particularly in state of Bihar are abysmally in pathetic condition. Like others, I love Modi but can not remain blind , idle and silent.

The book Paradoxical prime minister can be used as a fact check sheet of all the pitfalls or failures of Mr. Modi and his NDA government for the past 5 years of its rule.Comprising of 500 pages and spread across five sections, Mr. Tharoor tries to scrutinise each and every promises Modi government made but failed to keep.The rise of gaurakshaks, disputes in the name of religion and religious interests, uproaring number of cabinet ministers based on parties interests, demonetization etc being few among them.Having read his two other books "An Era of Darkness" and "Why I am a Hindu", I found this book to be little dragging unlike the other two. With Mr Tharoor trying to do a shadow campaign for his own political party for the upcoming election with an overflow of his opinions on a long list of issues.There is no doubt on the information being provided in this book and it is well researched with all the sources being provided as the footer in each page.For people like me who don't have any particular political interests, this book can be a one time read with engrossed facts on Mr Modi and his actions.Overall rating: 3/5

One of the closest and finest accounts on the tyrannical excuse of a Prime Minister that is Narendra Modi. A dictator in the garb of a democrat. Broke the Indian Economy, devastated the sheer values of India and its secularism. Tharoor dauntlessly binds all the misfortunes brought upon India by this dictator Modi, His party BJP, and the birthplace of these ridiculous ideologies, the RSS.A befitting as well as gallantry Tome, that will churn your brain cells and catalyse your thoughts as to how the democracy of this sovereign state is slowly being diminished, assaulted and assassinated, making it die a slow painful death.