Speaking the truth to political masters is never easy, especially when you are a top bureaucrat, influencing opinion and shaping policy. In his memoir, As Good as My Word, K.M. Chandrasekhar explains how he managed the seemingly impossible feat while serving as cabinet secretary–the apex post in the civil service–under the UPA government led by prime minister Manmohan Singh.
Chandrasekhar takes the reader through his career spanning 40 years, giving an insider view of governance under Singh and drawing a comparison with his successor Narendra Modi. “Integrity is either present in your DNA or it is not. Integrity has made me feel good,’’ writes Chandrasekhar. His journey–starting as sub collector of Devicolam (now Devikulam) near Munnar in the then newly-created district of Idukki and ending in a warm and cozy Lutyens bungalow in Delhi–mirrors that observation.
Chandrasekhar says he found himself in a state of paralysis when he started dealing with files for the first time. His euphoria of joining the civil services turned into a dark foreboding as he felt lonely during the chilly nights in Munnar. He broke his spectacles during the first night he spent in Munnar only to realise that getting a replacement would have to wait until his next trip to Kottayam, which took several hours of backbreaking journey. But the magic of ‘God’s own country’ worked on the 1970-batch, Kerala-cadre IAS officer, the sun shone through the clouds finally and he felt a sudden burst of energy.
Over the next few decades, Chandrasekhar evolved into one of those rare IAS officers chosen to hold a wide range of senior positions at state, Centre and public sector undertakings. In May 2007, he was picked by Singh to helm India’s vast bureaucracy.
As cabinet secretary, Chandrasekhar encountered testing times, starting with the 2008 Mumbai attacks. He concedes that there were gaps in the national security setup. At the same time, he gives credit where it is due, lauding the setting up of the National Intelligence Grid and the Financial Intelligence Unit by the Union home ministry under P. Chidambaram. The ostensible reasons for the second UPA government’s downfall are also documented. The book provides a detailed analysis of the CAG report on the 2G spectrum, the perceived corruption in the conduct of the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the coal scam.
Chandrasekhar is forthright about how Modi recognised the advantages of Aadhaar. Although it was introduced by the UPA government, Modi decided to link it to a wide range of government activities. Chandrasekhar is, however, critical of the Modi government’s amendments to the Citizenship Act for its seemingly discriminatory approach that strikes at the heart of the Constitution. He is fair in his analysis of the Covid lockdown, saying the fault lay with the World Health Organisation for failing to exert control when the epidemic raged in China. “The prime minister had no choice,’’ he writes.
To civil servants, Chandrasekhar offers an invaluable advice. “Interaction with politicians and political leaders is an integral part of a civil servant’s life,’’ he says. “Do not consider them to be enemies who are to be kept at a distance. At the same time, maintain your professional integrity.’’
AS GOOD AS MY WORD
By K.M. Chandrasekhar
Published by HarperCollins India
Price: Rs514; pages: 312