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Encounters with Politicians: Encounters with Politicians By Anil Swarup
Embark on an enthralling journey through the intricate web of interactions between civil servants and politicians with Anil Swarup's "Encounters With Politicians." Drawing from his extensive four-decade experience, Swarup shares candid and illuminating tales spanning all echelons of political hierarchy. Whether engaging with grassroots leaders or Prime Ministers, each encounter serves as a unique portal into the governance realm. Through these anecdotes, Swarup dismantles stereotypes, unveiling the delicate balance of compromise and accommodation essential for navigating the intricate landscape of Indian democracy. "Encounters With Politicians" not only vividly portrays political figures but also underscores their profound influence on the nation's trajectory. This work offers a compelling exploration into the human aspect of politics, where personalities and principles intersect, ultimately shaping the destiny of a nation.
- GenresPolitics
Kindle Edition
Published February 10, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 11, 2024
Got the 4 bundles of his book. After reading them all i can say is that:
Either this guy has too many skeletons in his closet waiting to tumble out after a CBI/ED raid of sorts or he thinks the readers are fools. Most likely the former,considering that he is a former IAS and had a fairly comfortable existence.
PS: Neerja CHoudhary's - How Prime Ministers decide is a more honest take on the workings of polticians. And then you always have the inimitable T N Seshan!
Either this guy has too many skeletons in his closet waiting to tumble out after a CBI/ED raid of sorts or he thinks the readers are fools. Most likely the former,considering that he is a former IAS and had a fairly comfortable existence.
PS: Neerja CHoudhary's - How Prime Ministers decide is a more honest take on the workings of polticians. And then you always have the inimitable T N Seshan!
November 15, 2025
The Title and the content are not proper.
It's just the meeting/talk of a civil servent with many politicians which reflects the views/opinion of Anil Swarup in this book.
Overrated Title.
It's just the meeting/talk of a civil servent with many politicians which reflects the views/opinion of Anil Swarup in this book.
Overrated Title.
April 18, 2024
"Just Another IAS babu's" attempt at sounding like a "Muhalle ki Chugalkhor Sasuma". Total waste of money
Half-truths, distorted lies, and the lack of courage or conviction to call a spade a spade. I know someone who worked in the coal ministry when Piyush Goyal was at the helm. He and the other babus were often lambasted by the minister left, right, and centre. Mr Anil too had frequent fights with him. Did he stop shy of sharing the details because the Minister in question is still a 'somebody' and can do good bad and ugly to him? Only Babu Swarup can answer.
Likewise his supposedly 'spicy' details of Babri Demolition is at conflict with what Kalyan Singh has stated publicly on multiple occasions. Another white lie. To sell his book? Only Babu Swarup can answer.
He has whitewashed the Mulayam Singh Innings too! Two of the most corrupt IAS of UP cadre(voted by the UP IAS babus themselves) Akhand Pratap Singh(400 crore+ personal property) and Neera Yadav(2000 crore+ scam) were his right hand man. Both went to jail later. Was he 'large-hearted' because he was easy on the corrupt IAS babus of UP? Only Babu Swarup can answer.
His sycophantic take on Modi is again something. On one hand he keeps crying how democracy is in danger, democracy is collapsing, how ECI is a shadow of its yester-years, how the steel frame is under more 'pressure' than ever. Always jumps and shares a negative news and yet is shy of calling out the 'culprits'. For an ardha-satya babu who 'think's he speaks this mind 'freely' this is quite something. Is it to avoid getting peagassussed? Or is it to avoid an ED/CBI visit to his house, In some coal scam? After all several IAS officers are already in jail all over India in the mining and coal scams, including H.C. Gupta, the famous IAS Pooja Singhal, Sameer Vishnoi and other IAS sidekicks. Many others too have been enjoying their jail time. Only Babu Swarup can answer.
Further, if the grapevine is to be believed, Mr. Anil quit as the CEO of Jharkhand SDC because of the absolute rot in the administration he encountered. He found it incorrigible. He didn't want to dig in and get his heels dirty. Probably, he didn't find the battle worth it? Whatever the reason, the ED raids are uncovering all that rot and his silence on the coal conviction of IAS babus is conspicuous. For a retiree who opines on all things under the sun and is never shy of sharing a good quarterly Coal India Limited performance report, he maintains a tacit silence. Is it all in the spirit of Nexus of Good, which he runs more like a mutual IAS admiration club these days, wherein acts of utter mediocrity are brandished as "good" and even 'extraordinary'? While the transgressions of the IAS babus are conveniently pushed under the carpet. Because he believes “problems” of his IAS babu family must be kept in the family? And that one shouldn’t go to town with it? Especially when the world is baying for the blood of IAS babus? Only Babu Swarup can answer.
Our babu met Saikia in 2008 while he expired in 1998. One wonders how. Did he run into his reincarnation? Only Babu Swarup can answer.
He even met Digvijay singh as the CM of MP in 2008, while Shivraj Singh was the CM for straight 15 years from 2005 - 2018. How is the question! Only Babu Swarup can answer.
A waste of money considering that the book cost 500 bucks, and all you get is deception from this babu, who trumpets himself as 'a babu who speaks his mind and expressed his mind freely on files while in service.' With manifest spine issues post retirement one wonders how much of a spine was exhibited in service. Only Babu Swarup can answer.
Everybody knows the wise adage - "Ye public hai, yeh sab janti hai". How can babu Swarup take the readers for granted! Only Babu Swarup can answer.
Needless to say, the book is a bundle of lies and half-truths, and the author sounds like a "Muhalle ki Naraaz Sasuma" (especially after being called a babu by Narendra Modi on the floor of Parliament on Feb 10,2021) who has to keep washing his dirty linen in public to stay relevant at the twilight of his life. And covertly take digs at Narendra Modi for bruising his ego by calling him a babu. But why can't he forgive Narendra Modi for calling out a fact and retire gracefully without making a total fool of himself? Only Babu Swarup can answer.
Half-truths, distorted lies, and the lack of courage or conviction to call a spade a spade. I know someone who worked in the coal ministry when Piyush Goyal was at the helm. He and the other babus were often lambasted by the minister left, right, and centre. Mr Anil too had frequent fights with him. Did he stop shy of sharing the details because the Minister in question is still a 'somebody' and can do good bad and ugly to him? Only Babu Swarup can answer.
Likewise his supposedly 'spicy' details of Babri Demolition is at conflict with what Kalyan Singh has stated publicly on multiple occasions. Another white lie. To sell his book? Only Babu Swarup can answer.
He has whitewashed the Mulayam Singh Innings too! Two of the most corrupt IAS of UP cadre(voted by the UP IAS babus themselves) Akhand Pratap Singh(400 crore+ personal property) and Neera Yadav(2000 crore+ scam) were his right hand man. Both went to jail later. Was he 'large-hearted' because he was easy on the corrupt IAS babus of UP? Only Babu Swarup can answer.
His sycophantic take on Modi is again something. On one hand he keeps crying how democracy is in danger, democracy is collapsing, how ECI is a shadow of its yester-years, how the steel frame is under more 'pressure' than ever. Always jumps and shares a negative news and yet is shy of calling out the 'culprits'. For an ardha-satya babu who 'think's he speaks this mind 'freely' this is quite something. Is it to avoid getting peagassussed? Or is it to avoid an ED/CBI visit to his house, In some coal scam? After all several IAS officers are already in jail all over India in the mining and coal scams, including H.C. Gupta, the famous IAS Pooja Singhal, Sameer Vishnoi and other IAS sidekicks. Many others too have been enjoying their jail time. Only Babu Swarup can answer.
Further, if the grapevine is to be believed, Mr. Anil quit as the CEO of Jharkhand SDC because of the absolute rot in the administration he encountered. He found it incorrigible. He didn't want to dig in and get his heels dirty. Probably, he didn't find the battle worth it? Whatever the reason, the ED raids are uncovering all that rot and his silence on the coal conviction of IAS babus is conspicuous. For a retiree who opines on all things under the sun and is never shy of sharing a good quarterly Coal India Limited performance report, he maintains a tacit silence. Is it all in the spirit of Nexus of Good, which he runs more like a mutual IAS admiration club these days, wherein acts of utter mediocrity are brandished as "good" and even 'extraordinary'? While the transgressions of the IAS babus are conveniently pushed under the carpet. Because he believes “problems” of his IAS babu family must be kept in the family? And that one shouldn’t go to town with it? Especially when the world is baying for the blood of IAS babus? Only Babu Swarup can answer.
Our babu met Saikia in 2008 while he expired in 1998. One wonders how. Did he run into his reincarnation? Only Babu Swarup can answer.
He even met Digvijay singh as the CM of MP in 2008, while Shivraj Singh was the CM for straight 15 years from 2005 - 2018. How is the question! Only Babu Swarup can answer.
A waste of money considering that the book cost 500 bucks, and all you get is deception from this babu, who trumpets himself as 'a babu who speaks his mind and expressed his mind freely on files while in service.' With manifest spine issues post retirement one wonders how much of a spine was exhibited in service. Only Babu Swarup can answer.
Everybody knows the wise adage - "Ye public hai, yeh sab janti hai". How can babu Swarup take the readers for granted! Only Babu Swarup can answer.
Needless to say, the book is a bundle of lies and half-truths, and the author sounds like a "Muhalle ki Naraaz Sasuma" (especially after being called a babu by Narendra Modi on the floor of Parliament on Feb 10,2021) who has to keep washing his dirty linen in public to stay relevant at the twilight of his life. And covertly take digs at Narendra Modi for bruising his ego by calling him a babu. But why can't he forgive Narendra Modi for calling out a fact and retire gracefully without making a total fool of himself? Only Babu Swarup can answer.
April 14, 2024
I being a 'normal, average' sales professional, having read the book, I drew a parallel between Anil sir's work life situation into my own daily living of corporate life. The mindset of dealing with his 'tough'- bosses, politicians, system, situations etc., I just brought home into my own life. And it is like thousand of years of darkness dispelled thru a simple act of lighting a matchstick...
My years of inner struggle got a clear cut direction. What so many things could not help me in all these painful years of struggle, his 'principle' oriented living true to oneself, especially in one of the most hostile environment, has done it all.
His life story, the belief system, is the darkness dispelling 'matchstick'.
Thanks Anil sir and all your peers, team mates.
My years of inner struggle got a clear cut direction. What so many things could not help me in all these painful years of struggle, his 'principle' oriented living true to oneself, especially in one of the most hostile environment, has done it all.
His life story, the belief system, is the darkness dispelling 'matchstick'.
Thanks Anil sir and all your peers, team mates.
April 18, 2024
Sir seems to have to have pasted his random diary entries and hoped it would read like a book. Could have been structured better. The profiles read your run of the mill school scrap book profiles. In today's digital age one can gather more by reading over web.
Further I found the book had some inaccuracies - Author tells Digvijay was the CM in 2008 and he met him for his RSBY ,while Shivraj Singh Chouhan was the CM.
The writing style too is a bit dry this time.Overall disappointing considering his first book was a breezy engaging read that I finished in one sitting.
Further I found the book had some inaccuracies - Author tells Digvijay was the CM in 2008 and he met him for his RSBY ,while Shivraj Singh Chouhan was the CM.
The writing style too is a bit dry this time.Overall disappointing considering his first book was a breezy engaging read that I finished in one sitting.
July 28, 2024
I am puzzled as to who reads this kind of chicken-hearted trash. No wonder the IAS is seen as a bunch of 'user-friendly' doormats by the politicians of the day.
June 29, 2024
Garbage of a book. The obsequiousness throughout is nauseating. It would have been better had the retired babu got his spine treated before penning this volume.
Aren't IAS babus supposed to a grow a spine post retirement?
Aren't IAS babus supposed to a grow a spine post retirement?
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews