Believer's Dilemma: Vajpayee and the Hindu Right's Path to Power, 1977–2018

by Abhishek Choudhary

Believer’s Dilemma concludes Abhishek Choudhary’s landmark two-part study of Atal Behari Vajpayee (1924–2018), the RSS propagandist who established himself as an imaginative moderate, drawing the Hindu Right from the fringes to displace Congress as the natural party of power.

This magisterial second volume combines new archival documents with revealing interviews to present an unsentimental history of India’s ongoing political moment, beginning with the short-lived Janata coalition and the Vajpayee–Morarji Desai tussle to steer foreign policy; Mrs Gandhi’s ad-hocism in Assam, Punjab and Kashmir; Rajiv’s cynical turn toward the Hindu vote; Vajpayee’s failure to secularize the newborn BJP; the Sangh Parivar’s meticulous plan to raze the Babri, and much more. Choudhary traces these machinations of the previous half-century to cast fresh light on major events from Vajpayee’s term in office (1998–2004), including his desperation to conduct nuclear tests; his cold pragmatism and heartbreak in negotiating with Pakistan and China; his wide range of emotional strengths, which allowed him to manage an unwieldy thirteen-party coalition and turn India into a multi-party democracy; his role in propping India up as a potential superpower and embedding capitalist aspiration into its socio-political imagination.

Mapping the evolution of the Sangh Parivar, this book reveals a deeper pattern in Vajpayee’s his reflexive loyalty to his ideological family in moments of crisis – be it the 1983 Assam riots, the 1992 Babri aftermath, the 2002 Gujarat pogrom, or his tragic last public appearance in 2008, when the stroke-battered patriarch voted against the Indo-US nuclear deal he had earlier helped seed.

A decade in the making, Believer’s Dilemma is an original and psychologically insightful take on the Hindu Right and its first prime minister.

Genres: History, India, Indian Literature

612 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 20, 2025

Reviews

[Amit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a worthy second part of the biography. Author maintains the key elements of the first in terms of being balanced towards his lead.
He takes reader through a history tour and key events . He focusses on inside stories , compromises, decision making , key players , their relationships, push and pull of political life , desires , ambitions and everything good bad and little ugly.
It’s an account of how BJP won and lost the power, infallibility and desires of the Party, the organisation and key players.
It does justice to the man that Vajpayee was bringing forth his double speak , stubbornness , kindness, personal life, desires, achievements and personal agenda. It also shows Vajpayee as human being with his follies and strengths.
There could have been a chapter on his irrelevance towards the end and how BJP leadership rediscovered him at time of his death and used it politically and for optics.

[Mayank Bawari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abhishek Choudhary’s diptych on Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is more about the story of Jan Sangh and later BJP through the principal character rather than being a true biography of Vajpayee, his character, his motivations and the life he lived publicly and privately.

Except for some brief amusing fragments of Bateshwar Atal, there are hardly instances from his personal life mentioned that are not scandalous in nature, be it his divisive family circumstances, his ‘menage e trois’ with the Kaul’s, or the loving but unexplainable relationship with ‘his’ daughter.

Vajpayee comes out as an empty vessel, primed and ready with the Sangh’s agenda who lucks his way into the parliament, after a resume of sorts of failed right wing cheap pamphleteer, and comes face to face with the tall stature of Nehru. Vajpayee stands out in the parliament for his over zealousness and desperate class participation, as the face of the party that has untrained unacademic wiry old celibate men as it’s think tank shuttling in 3rd class sleeper compartments between Nagpur and Jhandewalan.

Vajpayee’s fate is tied at the hip with the rise and fall of Jan Sangh or vice versa that the author does not clarify. His conflicting stances in public and private, constant flip flops, knee jerk reactions, and ludicrous staged protests are emblematic of politics of the era or are some personal shortcomings the author does not clarify. The Janta Dal Coup, Emergency, PM Assassinations,1984 riots, 1991 crises, and the Kargil Wars are rushed over because Vajpayee has less part to play or unimportant in the story of Atal, the author does not clarify.

The book presents Atal, as such an uncharismatic person, that anyone who stands in opposition to him shines just by being in his negative energy. Nehru is Grand, Indira Triumphant, Rajiv Energetic, Sonia Strong, even Advani Resilient, but Atal as a try hard Kavi Kaidi, who’s penmanship and speeches was outside the scope of review, as that would be cruel to the parliamentarian.

The author never attaches any positive connotations with Vajpayee, or given him his hero moment that establishes his legacy but does remind us when he fails. Never gives us a moment to cheer for him or wait for his downfall with glee. Atal comes out neither as a reformer, a hero or a villain but a career politician who lived out his last years privately after a humiliating defeat.

The book would’ve been better titled as the story of Jan Sangh, and how a group devoid of progressive ideology, falls back on the distant vague daylight dreams of Ram Rajya, Golden Bird, Swadeshi, AtmaNirbhar and Akhand Bharat, gains power and reconciles them with a country hungry for on ground reforms and/or fails to do so.

[Rahul Vishnoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

-Dust under a silken carpet-
Review of Believer's Dilemma by Abhishek Choudhary

Quote Alert
"𝐈𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟒, 𝐕𝐚𝐣𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 - 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐠𝐝𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐨𝐫 𝐍. 𝐓. 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐑𝐚𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐡𝐫𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬-𝐈 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐃𝐀 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡, 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞. 𝐁𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐌𝐫𝐬 𝐆𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐡𝐢 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐚𝐣𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭'𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲.𝟏𝟑𝟒 𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞."


The word makes up the world. Woven into stories, it runs the globe and stalls it too. In this, imagination is its ally. It fuels the mind of the inhabitants of the planet (I don’t want to use the word ‘humans’ because nobody knows whether a butterfly or a blue whale can or can’t imagine.) Stories are our fodder. Even when these stories are in the packaging of ‘non-fiction’, the style of writing is more engaging when it is told in a storytelling format and not bogged down by copious data, tables, pie charts and notes. In the sequel to his Mumbai Lit Fest winner of non-fic 'Vajpayee: The Ascent of the Hindu Right', Abhishek Choudhary achieves this magic once again.

Vajpayee’s life and political career is often hailed as a follower of soft-hindutava and remarks are often made, even by his political adversaries, of him being liberal and ‘right person stuck in a wrong party.’ A silken carpet, its value and beauty notwithstanding, gathers dust underneath. It is this dust that Abhishek Choudhary sometimes sweeps up to the surface to show us by gently slipping the beauty away and recording not only the achievements of Vajpayee but the cracks in the fibre too.

Abhishek Choudhary, in his winning speech after his debut work VAJPAYEE: The Ascent of the Hindu Right, 1924–1977 won 2023 Tata Literature Live! First Book Award, humbly remarked that he, at the last moment, decided to just stroll into the ceremony out of curiosity. He ended up winning. Although Choudhary pulls up the subject of his study to most severe, rigorous moral standards (he accuses Vajpayee of doublespeak), his modesty runs close to the figure he studied after being awarded the prestigious NIF fellowship in 2017 to research Vajpayee’s life.

Hailed by the master-biographer Ramchandra Guha as the finest biographies of an Indian Prime Minster, Vajpayee- The ascent of the Hindu right is rich in detail and wears no discriminatory gaze. It doesn’t succumb to the obligation to sugarcoat the life of its subject so much so that one of the popular tabloids calls Choudhary’s treatment towards his research subject ‘harsh’, the reason being that politicians are naturally double speakers. Choudhary himself claims the he is merciless some times, only to be a little tender the other. He has tried of not having been awestruck so as to give a clear account of the stalwart he has studied.

Like in first book, the author once again busts many myths. Beginning with the short-lived Janata coalition and the Vajpayee–Morarji Desai tussle to steer foreign policy, the author covers Mrs Gandhi’s ad-hocism in Assam, Punjab and Kashmir; Rajiv’s cynical turn toward the Hindu vote; Vajpayee’s failure to secularize the newborn BJP; the Sangh Parivar’s meticulous plan to raze the Babri, and much more. Choudhary traces these machinations of the previous half-century to cast fresh light on major events from Vajpayee’s term in office (1998–2004), including his desperation to conduct nuclear tests; his cold pragmatism and heartbreak in negotiating with Pakistan and China.

Choudhary, apart from hammering down on the myths, also cements other well known facts about Vajpayee. The book informs the reader that Vajpayee grew into his liberal persona with time and age. A young Vajpayee was not so mellow. The book doesn’t shy away from diving deep into the murk and the mud. The book boasts of a fine storytelling approach that saves it from being dry and overtly political. The story of this non fiction is as juicy and crisp as it could be.

[Vaibhav Srivastav · Rating 5 out of 5]

A biography of the last great Statesman of our country, written with the pace of fiction, not intended as an expose but bluntly calling out double speak, it serves as an insightful look which isn't too unkind. And for us born in the 90s, this is also a nostalgic ride through the tumultuous decade, providing a deeper view of our country and the world's events.
Must read.

[Sumeet Pradhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had been eagerly waiting for the second part of Vajpayee’s biography, The Believer’s Dilemma. I got my hands on it a little late and took some time to finish it, but here I am.
In the preface, the author boldly declares, “Without Vajpayee there would be no Modi.” Since Vajpayee was perhaps the first right-wing leader with a pan-India following, this two-volume biography is not just about him — it’s also the story of the rise of right-wing politics in modern, independent India. The book offers subtle clues as to why we, as a nation, have arrived where we are today. Reading through it, one realizes that the rise of right-wing politics in India was, in many ways, inevitable — and in this universe, Vajpayee was the chosen path to it. As the author observed in the first volume, the socio-religious fabric of India has never been entirely compatible with the idea of a modern secular liberal democracy. But I digress — that is not the central focus of this book.
This volume is about Vajpayee — an exploration of his many facets without being overly judgmental or trying to fit him neatly into any pre-conceived box. It begins with his tenure as foreign minister in the first Janata government and concludes with his social and political “death” around 2007–08, following his 2004 electoral defeat.
The first volume is a must-read in itself, but I found the second part even more engaging. Perhaps because it covers the more “fruitful” years of Vajpayee’s life, or maybe because, as an early millennial, I could relate more to the socio-political events it describes. Moreover, the author seems far more assured here — confident in his craft, assertive in his interpretations, and compelling in his storytelling. His writing combines well-researched, objective facts with sharp, unsentimental insight. Only toward the final few chapters — dealing with an aging Vajpayee — do we sense a tinge of personal emotion seeping into the prose.
What makes this book so gripping, much like the first volume, is the way the author weaves together Vajpayee’s personal and political lives. His indulgences, contradictions, and human vulnerabilities are not brushed aside but examined with nuance. Sprinkled throughout are Vajpayee’s trademark Hindi one-liners — moments that bring his wit, optimism, and inner turmoil to life. You can feel his high energy when in power, especially in foreign affairs; his near-defeatist despondence after election losses; and his constant tug-of-war between ideology and conscience.
So how does this book portray Vajpayee? As I see it, it does not pass judgment — it simply presents him as he was: human. Humans carry their vices — ideological biases, ambition, selfishness, resentment — and yet they are also guided by external pressures and, at times, a moral compass. Good humans strive to uphold that compass, though they often falter under competing forces. For such individuals, their compromises may seem like doublethink or hypocrisy, but such labels can be unfair. Vajpayee, too, was mortal — he evolved, matured, and tried to balance his ideals with the realities of politics. He occasionally succumbed to his flaws and pressures, yet he also earnestly pursued constructive goals and achieved a fair measure of success.
One of the final political episodes in the book captures his essence beautifully: the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal. It was Vajpayee’s own initiative, yet when the UPA government carried it forward, he was bound by party discipline to oppose it. Even in a wheelchair, he voted against it — and yet his political rival, Manmohan Singh, went to his residence and acknowledged him after the deal passed: “I completed the work you started.”
That moment, perhaps, best sums up the man this book so thoughtfully portrays — complex, conflicted, deeply human, and undeniably consequential.

[SIDDHARTH SINGH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Believer’s Dilemma in 2025 is not an exercise in nostalgia; it’s an urgent act of perspective. India under Narendra Modi is not India under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The differences are stark. Vajpayee, for all his lifelong loyalty to the Sangh Parivar, cultivated a certain intellectual curiosity and diplomatic nuance. He could spar in Parliament with wit, acknowledge contradictions in public, and balance ideological allegiance with the need for coalition-building. Modi’s style, by contrast, thrives on centralisation of authority, relentless messaging, and a charisma rooted in populist certainty rather than rhetorical accommodation.

This book helps us see that difference more clearly. By tracing Vajpayee’s dilemmas—his attempts to soften Hindutva without severing ties with it—Choudhary shows us what it meant for the Hindu Right to adapt itself to India’s democratic framework. Today, that same movement operates from a position of dominance, not negotiation. Where Vajpayee had to manage allies, weigh criticism, and temper extremes, Modi governs from a majoritarian vantage, far less reliant on compromise.

Choudhary’s study is also a reminder of how ideas become institutionalised. Vajpayee’s moderation wasn’t weakness; it was strategy. He helped embed Hindutva within the mainstream by appearing flexible. That paved the way for today’s BJP to assert itself without apology. If Modi embodies confidence without dilemma, it is because Vajpayee’s era resolved those dilemmas in the party’s favour.

For readers today, then, Believer’s Dilemma is more than biography. It’s a mirror for India’s present condition. It explains how we moved from a moment of balancing acts and coalitions to an era of centralised, uncompromising rule. It also raises uncomfortable questions: Is there still space in Indian politics for leaders with Vajpayee’s blend of intellect, diplomacy, and rhetorical grace? Or has the age of dilemmas ended, replaced by an age of certitudes?

That’s why this book matters now: it does not glorify Vajpayee, but it helps us recognise the trajectory from his time to ours—and forces us to ask whether the qualities he embodied are precisely the ones we are missing today.

[Bhumish Khudkhudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Genuine Colossus of the Hindu Right.


Believer's Dilemma: Vajpayee and the Hindu Right's Path to Power 1977-2018, a second volume of Atal Bihari Vajpayee's remarkable biography by Abhishek Choudhary is an easily readable book due to familiarity of those millennials who observed & admired Vajpayee's leadership from a distance. That familiarity must not lull the curious reader to rush into any foregone conclusions. Why?

Because this book is an immensely important work as the author outstandingly highlights nuances and perspectives of those crucial political moments and events (tragic and otherwise) of the Hindu Right.

The first volume, Vajpayee and the Ascent of the Hindu Right 1924-1977 enlightens the reader about Atal Bihari Vajpayee's life that was unknown to India especially students of Indian Politics and neatly segued to Believer's Dilemma containing well known aspects of Vajpayee's political career.

This stellar combination of unknown and known in the form of a two part biography as well as what was conveniently concealed and openly revealed under the rubric of political expediences (and perfidies) constitutes the sui generis politics of Vajpayee that lent credence to the Hindu Right.

Honestly, I was expecting a book of more than 800 pages. Neverthless, the author pointed out the limitation in the form of the lack of credible primary archives concerning Vajpayee and RSS of the 1980s. There are some errors and sequential dissonances with respect to Notes that can be baffling to a discerning reader. But those do not take away the sheen of the book.

Ultimately, the biggest takeaway for me is that in parallel to the nationalist movement of the Indian National Congress from 1885 to 1966 presided by enlightened leaders that fostered unity irrespective of diverse differences; Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a genuine Colossus of the Hindu Right amidst utterly petty and tiny people (Balasaheb Deoras, LK Advani, Pramod Mahajan, Murli Manohar Joshi, Arun Jaitley, Ashok Singhal, Moropant Pingle, Sudarshan, Sushma Swaraj et al) thereby enabling the rise of another Colossus by the name of Narendra Modi.

[Himanshu Damle · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABV, the poet, statesman and patriarch of the BJP has always remained an enigma, thanks to so much hearsay and the personality cult surrounding him, i.e. until the two volumes of Abhishek. If silence could speak louder than words, this volume underscores ABV's traits. Known for his constant flip-flop, opportunistic acumen, and helpless submission to the voices of unreason, the leader's tenacity and perseverance, though creditable, were equally responsible for sowing the seeds of things to come, which for most part are nothing less than authoritarian impulses. ABV, the man had various shortcomings that he himself wasn't shy of admitting, though, he made it up, not always successfully, with his wits, often at inopportune time. His was a challenging reign, where he could have achieved more than what he eventually accomplished. Nevertheless, he was respected, and even loathed depending on what side of the political spectrum one belonged, oftentimes even if one belonged on the same ideological plane.

Abhishek does a fantastic job in unearthing ABV, a research which consumed a decade in closing. The fruits span 395 pages of looking through the microscope into the being of the man, who in his becoming exposed himself to platitudinous human frailties, but managed to eke out a position rarely matched since.

In short, this is an absolutely must read volume to know how much ABV initiated a different political canvas for India.

[Kumar Rishabh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Abhishek Choudhary’s first book. I eagerly awaited his next one, "Believer's Dilemma". My anticipation was personal. Growing up near Ayodhya in the politically chargd 1990s, I witnessed BJP’s rise and the era of unstable governments: from the dramatic "13-din" Vajpayee tenure to the fragile "13-mahine" coalition government, and the pivotal role regional parties like SP and BSP played in reshaping coalition politics. These chaotic transitions deeply influenced my political understanding.

Choudhary’s second book spoke directly to these experiences and exceeded my expectations. His storytelling is sharp, his analysis precise. He brings clarity to events that become comprehensible only in hindsight. Reading it vividly reignited memories of the tensions and transformations from my youth.

"Believer’s Dilemma" is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding India's transformative political decades. It is authoritative, compelling, and for me, deeply personal. It will soon be considered one of the most important historical accounts of ABV's life as PM, and his last years.

[Ambesh Tiwari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning book on a phenomenal personality. The book gives a very non judgemental view into the former PMs life and multiple events that changed the course of history. Some of the things covered -
1) Vajpayee Advani relationship once he came to power
2) The rise and rise of Brajesh Mishra
3) Vajpayee 's liberal side
4) His relationship with Modi
5) His personal life

and many other anecdotes

[Priya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography blends historical analysis with a great literary tone. It has a reflective flair without being dry and just informational. The use of metaphors and irony makes this political history dramatic and personal.

This well-researched book is neither over-worshipful in tone nor very harsh. While it appreciates Vajpayee's strengths, it also questions his contradictions.

[Aayush · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real feat of a biography that will set a new benchmark on how to chronicle the lives of India’s leading political figures. Choudhary paints a compelling portrait of Vajpayee, capturing his dilemmas, motivations, vacillations and actions as he navigates the turbulent currents of Indian public life. For anyone who wants to understand the evolution of Indian politics over the last 50 years, Abhishek Choudhary's book is indispensable reading.