Congmen missing at Alexander book release

Don't question my honesty, said author P.C. Alexander at the launch of his autobiography Through the Corridors of Power: An Insider’s S...

Don’t question my honesty, said author P.C. Alexander at the launch of his autobiography Through the Corridors of Power: An Insider’s Story as he tried to exorcise the demons of the past in front of a gathering too willing to listen.

Unfortunately, for the author who had served as principal secretary to Indira Gandhi, there were few Congress representatives to listen to the truth. Alexander heaped praise on former Congressman and NCP chief Sharad Pawar and recalled with bitterness, two incidents that continue to torment him.

The first, was his near-miss of the highest office in the land, stymied by the Congress. ‘‘I was even called a CIA agent. Can you imagine P.C. Alexander to be disloyal to the land of his birth?’’ his voice quivered. One could hear the audience whisper a loud ‘‘No’’ — as Alexander went on to praise Advaniji and Vajpayeeji for ignoring the slanderous campaign launched against him.

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The second incident, when the Congress opposed his move to become a Rajya Sabha member, courtesy Sharad Pawar. ‘‘Even Pawar could not anticipate that the elections to Rajya Sabha were far from unanimous. Instructions were issued from Delhi, that Congress members should not support my candidature. But I was elected by 3/4th majority.’’

‘‘The book is an autobiography and not just the memoirs of a civil servant,’’ Alexander said. Before he spoke, former prime minister I.K. Gujral who released the book, singled out the chapters chronicling the blackest days in Punjab’s history for a special mention. Constitution expert and Rajya Sabha member Fali Nariman who remarked that the first chapter titled ‘Raj Bhavan to Rashtrapati Bhavan’ was clearly the piece-de-resistance of the book, predicted with glee that after the book, Alexander would be able to count his friends in the Congress on one hand.

Former Law Minister Arun Jaitley said the book is bound to raise questions on account of its contents. People who trooped in to listen to Alexander included Vajpayee’s media advisor Sudheendra Kulkarni, former information advisor to Indira Gandhi S.Y. Sharda Prasad, defence analyst K.Subramanyam, National Security Advisor J.N. Dixit, Inter-State Council secretary Kamal Pandey to name a few.

‘‘Certainly, I have not written everything I know. That I will carry to my grave,’’ said the former principal secretary to Indira Gandhi.