PMO-1 Prelude to the Emergency by B.N. Tandon

When the first volume of PMO Diary came out and got some rave reviews, Dhawan released photocopies of Tandon's letter. Judge me, if necessary ? even on an unimportant and inconsequential assignment'. Tandon's 'purpose' was to 'plead for making greater and better use of my services and I may give my most genuine, sincere and respectful assurance to PM that my conduct and performance will not give her any occasion to find me wanting in any respect. Dhawan, a major target of Tandon's barbs and back as the prime minister's special assistant, received a 'strictly personal' handwritten letter from him. She also asked him to work 'properly' at the Culture Ministry where 'no work is going on worth the name'.Įventually, Tandon reverted to Uttar Pradesh where he was serving as director of the state academy of administration when Indira Gandhi returned to power in January 1980. Even yesterday some people? came and made (she only says these things to cover up her lies) serious complaints against you'.

When he made a farewell call on Indira Gandhi, she curtly told him, 'I have been receiving very adverse reports on you. But, as additional secretary, he was sent to the Ministry of Culture. The relevant file had lain at the PM's desk for months. The two were discussing the matter of Tandon's promotion to the rank of additional secretary. How can I be expected to speak to somebody whose conscience had died?' No matter what happens I would consider discussing all this with her against my self-respect. Typical of what the author thought of the prime minister is his outburst to Dhar that he (Tandon) had 'not the slightest faith in the prime minister's sense of justice, nor do I feel even a bit of respect for her. In so doing, it sets the record straight in a way that has not been done by anyone so far.Altogether, the book is a compendium of a million minutiae of the ugliness of the Emergency. It portrays political leaders and others, who became powerful at the time, in their true colours. The Diary also reveals hitherto untold facts. In the process, the reader gets an accurate and fascinating glimpse into the persona of Indira Gandhi as well as her working style. They take the reader through the major issues of the day and the manner in which the PM and her office dealt with them. His entries, which were made almost on a daily basis, trace the trajectory of the political crisis that would, on 26 June 1975 overwhelm the country. The author was in the Prime Minister's Secretariat (PMS) as it was known then, as a Joint Secretary for seven years dealing mainly with political affairs. This second volume covers the period from Augto July 24, 1976).

To some extent this Diary (In 2 Volumes) fills that gap. This is proving to be a major void in the source materials that historians would like to access. Civil servants in India usually do not either maintain a diary or write their memoirs.

PMO-1 Prelude to the Emergency by B.N. Tandon