24 Akbar Road

by Rasheed Kidwai

In India's constantly changing political social and economic milieu, the Congress party has stayed one step ahead by constantly reinventing itself to stay in touch with people's aspirations and the political realities of the day. Normally, a political party is known for its commitment to specific economic social and political issues, but in the case of the Congress, 'ideology' does not seem to matter in equal measure. In most cases the Congress's concept of 'continuity with change' has helped the party tide over many crises. However, even though it is always adapting and changing, the Congress can by no stretch of the imagination be viewed as an ideologically-neutral organization. Over the years the grand old party has developed an ideology of its own, albeit in a rather flexible and amorphous manner.

This book tracks the story of the contemporary Congress – its key characters, its ideology, its failure and its success in the years after the Emergency. Using the Congress seat of power at 24 Akbar Road as his vantage, author Rasheed Kidwai draws a compelling account of the rule – both backseat and forefront – of the various Congress leaders, from Indira Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi, who have helped steer its course.

Genres: India, Politics, Nonfiction, History

295 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2011

About the author

Rasheed Kidwai is a non-fiction Indian writer and journalist. He has authored SONIA - A Biography and 24, Akbar Road, a book based on Congress party headquarters.


Kidwai graduated from the reputed St. Stephen's, Delhi and studied Mass Communications from Leicester University, UK. He was awarded an 'India Scholarship' by the British Council and Commonwealth office in U.K. He has worked with reputed newspapers, like the National Herald, Asia News International, The Asian Age. Presently, he is currently working as an Associate Editor with the Delhi Bureau for The Telegraph.

Now he lives in Delhi, India.

www.facebook.com/rasheed.kidwai

Reviews

[E.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 3-4 years ago, after reading the superb India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy, I was looking for more books on India's history since independence and this was recommended by a friend. I ignored it then because of its low goodreads rating, but picked it up as an article rated it as 1 of its 5 (relatively unknown) must-reads.
This book looks at the history of the Congress party thru its links with the Nehru/Gandhi family (and Narsimha Rao). It starts with Indira Gandhi, under whom the Congress HQ shifted to 24, Akbar road in 1978 after the split. Each of the Gandhis' party politics has been covered in some detail. The book also has some interesting anecdotes, some gossip and short profiles of other Congress leaders of the time. The book is different in the sense that the focus in on a political party and not history of India or its leaders as such.
The book was very readable and informative. It has a sympathetic tone towards the Gandhis and Congress, yet it is largely fair and honest. Yet, sometimes felt the author got distracted by side-issues and the book seemed to jump abruptly from one issue to another. For example, he devoted 10-15 pages to speculating just on the reasons for the rift between Gandhis and Bachchans. Also, clumsy copy-paste editing meant that entire paragraphs have been repeated in the end.
Despite these, a fast-paced interesting read from someone knowledgeable. Do pick up if u have an interest in politics / history.

[Shadin Pranto · Rating 3 out of 5]

ক্ষমতার লড়াইয়ে কারণে নেহেরুর আমলেই কংগ্রেস প্রথম ছোটো-খাটো ভাঙন দেখা দেয়। পণ্ডিত নেহেরুর মৃত্যুর পর প্রথমবারের মতো প্রধানমন্ত্রিত্ব নিয়ে দ্বন্দ্ব প্রকাশ্য রূপ নেয়। লাল বাহাদুর শাস্ত্রীর অকস্মাৎ মৃত্যু ইন্দিরা গান্ধিকে সবচেয়ে বড়ো সুযোগ তৈরি করে দেয় গদিতে বসার। কিন্তু দলের সিনিয়র নেতারা এত সহজেই হার মানতে রাজি ছিলেন না। উপরন্তু, ইন্দিরা গান্ধির অনুসৃত বিভিন্ন নীতি নিয়ে দলের দক্ষিণপন্থি অংশের অসন্তোষ ক্রমবর্ধমান হয়ে আরও একবার কংগ্রেসে ভাঙন নিশ্চিত করে তোলে। মোরারজি দেশাইসহ বেশকিছু পুরোনো নেতা দলত্যাগ করেন। কংগ্রেস(পুরাতন) এবং কংগ্রেস ( ইন্দিরা) নামে দল ভাগ হয়ে যায়। এই দলত্যাগের ঘটনার পুনরাবৃত্তি ঘটে জরুরি অবস্থার-পরবর্তী নির্বাচনে ইন্দিরার শোচনীয় পরাজয়ের পর। নাজুক ইন্দিরাকে রেখে অনেকেই কংগ্রেস ছেড়ে দেন। সেই সময় একটি অংশ কংগ্রেসের প্রধান কার্যালয় দখল করে এবং খোদ ইন্দিরাকে দল থেকে বহিষ্কার করে নিজেদের আদি ও অকৃত্রিম কংগ্রেসি দাবি করে। জরুরি অবস্থার পর ইন্দিরা গদির পাশাপাশি দলের দীর্ঘদিনের প্রধান কার্যালয়ের নিয়ন্ত্রণও হারান। তখন ইন্দিরা গান্ধি দলের কেন্দ্রীয় কার্যালয় বর্তমান ২৪ আকবর রোডে নিয়ে যান।

কংগ্রেসের আশেক না হলে সাংবাদিক রাশেদ কিদওয়াইয়ের এই বই হজম করা কঠিন হবে। জরুরি অবস্থার সময় ইন্দিরা ও সঞ্জয়ের ভূমিকা এই বইয়ের সবচাইতে রোমাঞ্চকর অধ্যায়। ক্ষমতা প্রতাপ মানুষকে কতটা অন্ধ এবং একগুঁয়ে করে তুলতে পারে তা জরুরি অবস্থার সময় ইন্দিরা ও সঞ্জয়ের কীর্তিকলাপ না পড়লে বোঝা যাবে না। আবার, রাজীব গান্ধির হত্যাকাণ্ডের পর দলের নেতৃত্ব নিয়ে যে রাজনীতি হয়েছিল তা যে কোনো থ্রিলারকে হার মানাবে। মূলত, জরুরি অবস্থা এবং রাজীবের মৃত্যুর পর কংগ্রেসে সভাপতির পদ নিয়ে দ্বৈরথ হলো এই বইয়ের চুম্বক অংশ। বাদবাকি পুরোটাই প্যাঁচাল ও বিরক্তিকর।

[Deepa Patil · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read . This book walks you through journey of Congress party from pre independence era till 2014.

24Akbar road (an address of Congress Headquarters in New Delhi) flashes light not only on the top tier but on many known -unknown- forgotten folks who were once integral part of the party's development . Few of them were too intelligent to checkmate others politically and sometimes even checkmating Party's progress .

[Yashash Gaurav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to know a little about the political background of India.. Suddenly I want to join politics.. Change the India?

Thank you Aklank! :D

[Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an interesting read and provides a decent account of the Congress party's journey through power. God Speed

[Harshit Nayyar · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book gives some insights regarding the Nehru Gandhi family but would have appreciated information regarding Dr. Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee and other leaders.

The book is poorly edited and the individual chapters do not have a constant flow.

The book does change your perception towards some of the leaders and is interesting to read. Though not worth being in the must read list, will be worth your time.

[Mahe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little conflicted as to the rating. Hence I go with the median.

The book itself was an easy read.

For those who aren't too much into details and would like a quick chronological history of the Congress party headquarters it's a good read.

Yet, for those who are regular political junkies with keen interest I must say the book is a let down. More so because I had been wanting to read this book for sometime now.

It comes across as one written by a durbari loyalist who's trying to look objective.

Noticed a few factual inaccuracies. Even a bit of fiction (like NTR seeking a Congress ticket in 1983).

Rajdeep Sardesai was right when he said in his blurb - 'written like a political thriller'.

[Dhawal Singh · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started as a racy read sharing interesting anecdotes, but towards the end I had this feeling that the author was extremely biased in formulating his opinion. For ex: Rajiv Gandhi was conveniently exonerated for Sikh Riots, but Narsimha Rao was fully culpable for the Babri Masjid debacle. Hardly any mention of Narsimha Rao's bold economic initiatives in 1992, rather he was branded as a weak and failed PM. Hardly any mention of Lal Bahadur Shastri as a PM. Amitabh branded as a person who was not loyal to Rajiv. However, Sonia Gandhi was portrayed as a near perfect leader which Congress needed. On the positive side, this was reasonably well written but not an unbiased account of the Congress as an organization.

[Mukul Bhatnagar · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book appears to be a PR excercised commissioned by Congress owners- the Nehru-Gandhi Family. All throughout the book, author heaps praise Indira, Rajiv and Sanjay Gandhi and glorifies the current rulers- Sonia and Rahul. Congress is presented as cash-strapped, resource-less political party and the Nehru-Gandhis are portrayed as custodians of morality. At the same time, Rasheed Kidwai has enjoyed ridiculing Sitaram Kesri and subduing P V N Rao. Lal Bahadur Shastri finds a fleeting reference.


The fact remains that the Indian National Congress is the most corrupt and inefficient party of India. Its responsible for creating incompetent, slow and indifferent government machinery.

[Vartika Goyal · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is basically tale of congress leadership from 1978 to 2011 but it seems more like jai jai "Nehru Gandhi Pariwar". Author criticised everyone except Gandhi family.

First half of the book is still tolerable. Author shared few stories about Amitabh Bachchan and Rajiv Gandhi's friendships which are quite interesting but last 100 pages seems like never ending.

According to the book Narasimha Rao had leadership issues, Manmohan Singh was incapable of reacting to corruption charges, Amitabh Bachchan is a unreliable friend but Sonia madam and Rahul Baba is great.

[Pranav Pandya · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the author's sympathy towards the GOP seems hardly hidden in his little criticism of Indira's Emergency, or that of Rajiv's Shah Bano case or of the rampant corruption of UPA II, the book does provide a nicely written history of the Indian National Congress with a view taken from the AICC's office & the titular building, 24 Akbar Road. I would love to read an extended edition of the book post the 2019 general election.

[Himanshu Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is very sympathetic to the Gandhi family and the author looks very biased at some points. It sings paens for Sonia Gandhi and looks very biased towards her, almost makes her a Godess and a Messiah. But, a very good treasuretrove to get a good idea about the history of Congress party. It is certainly not very exhaustive, but still a good read. Caution: The author has a very sympathetic tone for the 'First family' so this book can make you become a fan of this family. 

[Varun Jadhav · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Account. It's definitely not an unbiased account of the Congress(I), as the author often seems to slightly lean towards the family & present them in the best light possible without any evidence that corroborates the same.

A decent read for those who wish to understand the revival & subsequent chaos inside the Indira's Congress.

[Ramandeep]

Good

[Navdeep Pundhir · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mediocre book!

[Biju P.R.]

Really interesting! The story of lampetra in the 1970 used by Sonia Gnadhi and Rajiv Gandhi was funny

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

In 24 Akbar Road, Kidwai attempts to chronicle the undulating history of the Congress Party's headquarters (at times reduced to a quarter of a limb) from 1978-2010 throwing light on the various twists and turns in the Party's fortunes and its power brokers'. Kidwai's narrative comes from an insider's vantage point which while providing trivia galore to lay readers on behind-the-scenes-action fails at the point of providing any new insight or perspective on the larger dilemmas in the party and its ranks beyond routine power manipulations and the dynast-leader's persona and idiosyncrasies. The adventure-styled narrative leaves the reader with diminished wonder on the workings of the grand old Party which Kidwai would suggest has stuck around due to an altogether malleable ideology, easy-to-beckon glories of history, lack of a strong opposition and stability offered by the largely indisputable authority and win-ability of the First Family of Congress.

While Kidwai spends much time elaborating on Sonia's dilemmas on entering politics and prep-time during BJP rule to gear the Party back into power, he seems to do little justice to Manmohan or her during their tenure in govt since 2004. There remains much to be revealed and discussed of the times that follow which is when the Party also stiffens up to media introspection. But most undercovered in the book has certainly to be Rahul Gandhi who is at best made out to be a picture of noble intentions, determination and hard work, which while possibly all holding true does not yet reveal any of the persons' ideology and/or political intent. While his role in the transformation of the Party has been discussed widely, Rahul's continued absence from the space of public debate has led to more confusion over his capacity, interest and commitment to public life. All in all, 24 Akbar Road disappoints through the deluge of anecdotes and back-room gossip in penning a personality-driven history of a Party that has resiliently survived many-a-storm, the nature or source for that resilience itself shrouded in mystery yet.

[Raghav Kapoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author starts on an engrossing and captivating note, but the pace of story telling slows down as the book progresses from the pre Independence era to the present one. I feel that this can be attributed to the fact that the history of INC and its leadership is much more interesting than its present and pretty likely, its future. The book does well to educate the reader on the functioning of India's grand old party and how the culture of sycophancy and lack of inner party democracy has decayed the party over the years. I particularly liked how Rasheed Kidwai makes use of Ibn Khaldun's theory about the life of dynasties to focus on the challenge that awaits Rahul Gandhi, and highlight the pivotal role that he must play in the coming years if the Congress party is to stay as relevant and popular as it was during its golden days.

[Siddharth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was good. It had a very interesting and grabbed my attention. The stories of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were extremely interesting. However after that, the pace of the narrative gets slower.. Especially the portions consisting of PV Narsimha Rao and Sitaram Kesri were quite boring. They sould have been kept short and the focus should have been kept more on Manmohan Singh and how he was always ridiculed for being silent, his contributions to the economy.. And Rahul Gandhi was not doscussed much, though he has always been an important part of the Sonia led Congress.
In short, the story is very interesting till the page where Rajiv Gandhi died. After that the graph line slopes downward. However, the book remains informative and gives the reader a good glimpse in the life of the oldest party of India.

[Prabhat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes with this book to get some inside stories about congress, but it turned out to be a sad excuse of a book to justify the Gandhi-Nehru political decisions and to showcase their greatness, it skirted away from all the controvercial topics with very lenient comments, but was not averse to get personal when wanted to discredit somebody like sitaram kesri. Not recommended, read congress manifesto insted, at least you would laughs.....

[Ankur · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing read, started off well and felt interesting only to lose its plot with far too much praise given to the Gandhi family. Would have been a much nicer book had it not paraphrased speeches and attempted to be a bit less biased. Repetitive phrases(politician among politicians...) and limited anecdotes make it a tad boring read.

[Vaarun Dhingra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative though slightly biased read, takes you to the beginning of the Nehru era right through to the Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi era. The fall and rise of the Congress party explained very well.

[Rakesh Vanamali · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book is undoubtedly informative and gives the reader a first hand account of many interesting incidents, it is overshadowed by the author's bias which seems to make it convoluted.

Nevertheless, it makes an interesting read.

[Omkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some facts and snippets that I did not know were revealed in the book... But still I feel a very pro Congress view on everything has been presented.. Would have liked some critical analysis as well...

[Sanjay Casula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Utter bitter congresswala bile

[Amit Tyagi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Low on insights, high on sycophancy and some anecdotes

[Umesh Kesavan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A racy read yet lacks the seriousness or research of documenting history. Too many minor mistakes underlining the lack of an efficient copy editor.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

More gossipy than insightful but nevertheless provides an interesting take on the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and the Indian National Congress.

[Ashok.chava · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK book looks like written by a congress loyalist, also not everything written in this book is true. Lot of speculations and gossips are included in this book.

[Sarvpreet · Rating 3 out of 5]

an easy to read book. it turns out to be a history of congress from congress point of view. can be read