Chandra Shekhar by Roderick Matthews
On the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, HarperCollins announces a new biography of the strongman from Ballia by historian Roderick Matthews
CHANDRA SHEKHAR served as the eighth Prime Minister of India. He took charge at a difficult moment in India’s history, after the fall of the VP Singh government in the aftermath of the post-Mandal Commission agitations. From November 1990 to June 1991, Chandra Shekhar headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal, with outside support from the Congress, as a stopgap arrangement to delay elections. At that time, the Indian economy was in a shambles, and Chandra Shekhar’s government was forced to authorize the mortgaging of gold to avoid default of payment. The prime minister also had to face up to challenging issues such as the Ram Janmabhoomi–Babri Masjid dispute; secessionist movements in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Assam; and the controversy erupting from India’s decision to allow US aircraft to refuel in Bombay during the American invasion of Kuwait. There was political chaos too, as Rajiv Gandhi pulled the rug from under Chandra Shekhar’s feet, leading to his fall in just five months. Chandra Shekhar’s time in office was short but critical in laying the groundwork for the liberalization of the economy. Chandra Shekhar And the Six Months That Saved India looks at the pivotal role the strongman from Ballia played in the transition of power at a decisive juncture and the lessons his tenure holds for the India of today.
RODERICK MATTHEWS is a writer and Indian historian. Born in 1956, he studied Modern History at Balliol College, Oxford, and has written articles and reviews for a number of British and Indian publications. His previous books include The Flaws in the Jewel: Challenging the Myths of British India, Jinnah vs Gandhi and The Great Indian Rope Trick.