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जुगलबंदी : भाजपा मोदी युग से पहले

जुगलबंदी : भाजपा मोदी युग से पहले

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  • Create Date：2021-04-12 16:51:10
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：Vinay Sitapati
  • ISBN：0143451952
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Summary

Narendra Modi has been a hundred years in the making。 Vinay Sitapati's Jugalbandi provides this backstory to his current dominance in Indian politics。 It begins with the creation of Hindu nationalism as a response to British-induced elections in the 1920s， moves on to the formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party （BJP） in 1980， and ends with its first national government， from 1998 to 2004。 And it follows this journey through the entangled lives of its founding jugalbandi: Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani。

Over their six-decade-long relationship， Vajpayee and Advani worked as a team despite differences in personality and beliefs。 What kept them together was fraternal love and professional synergy， of course， but also， above all， an ideology that stressed on unity。 Their partnership explains what the BJP before Modi was， and why it won。

In supporting roles are a cast of characters-from the warden's wife who made room for Vajpayee in her family to the billionaire grandson of Pakistan's founder who happened to be a major early funder of the BJP。 Based on private papers， party documents， newspapers and over two hundred interviews， this is a must-read for those interested in the ideology that now rules India。

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Reviews

Sukadeb ，

An excellent book on recent history。 It perfectly summarises the rise of BJP， the rise of Modi and the rise of hindu nationalism。

Kshitij ，

I didn’t expect a political book to be the page-turner that Jugalbandi was。No matter which side of the political spectrum you're on， this is a fascinating read。 The book traces the birth and rise of Hindu nationalism and in a lot of ways comments on politics and India of today The book overall looks at the political evolution of the hindutva through the prism of the partnership between Vajpayee and Advani， while doing a deep dive on the politics of Mandir， Mandal and the Markets of the 90s。 It a I didn’t expect a political book to be the page-turner that Jugalbandi was。No matter which side of the political spectrum you're on， this is a fascinating read。 The book traces the birth and rise of Hindu nationalism and in a lot of ways comments on politics and India of today The book overall looks at the political evolution of the hindutva through the prism of the partnership between Vajpayee and Advani， while doing a deep dive on the politics of Mandir， Mandal and the Markets of the 90s。 It also seeks to answer the big question for today - why does the BJP win？Well researched and taut，It is a study in contrast of the BJP then and now。It also addresses the convoluted intertwining of RSS， VHP & BJP。The book is riddled with some great anecdotes and quotes from people that makes you chuckle as well。 This provides a much needed breathers throughout the book。The image that I had of both the men got punctured a little bit by this book。 Maybe Vajpayee's liberal hero image and LK Advani's staunch right winger image doesn't really square off from their completely opposite roots。The author makes a great statement about how if you wear a mask for long enough that becomes your reality。 That's what probably happened to both and led to the rise of new jugalbandi- PM/HM which author would explore in the much awaited sequel。At one point I couldn’t help get the feeling that there was some “normalising”of evil going on but kudos to the author for keeping this one largely unbiased。In conclusion， while there are 2 protagonist in this book， it is difficult to see who's the hero indeed。Very highly recommended！ In fact if you're planning to read only one book this year， and you have any interest in Indian politics， make it this one。 。。。more

Umesh Kesavan ，

Vinay Sitapati's sophomore work on the Advani-Vajpayee duo is a delightful mix of anecdotage， research and engaging story-telling without judgement。 He unearths nuggets of information which cannot be found elsewhere : How the crowd started to cheer Vajpayee's name when Advani was about to announce BJP's prime ministerial candidate in 1995。 The book's best parts relate to the 2002 National Executive wherein Modi captured the imagination of the cadre despite Vajpayee's reservations。 As evident in Vinay Sitapati's sophomore work on the Advani-Vajpayee duo is a delightful mix of anecdotage， research and engaging story-telling without judgement。 He unearths nuggets of information which cannot be found elsewhere : How the crowd started to cheer Vajpayee's name when Advani was about to announce BJP's prime ministerial candidate in 1995。 The book's best parts relate to the 2002 National Executive wherein Modi captured the imagination of the cadre despite Vajpayee's reservations。 As evident in his book on Narasimha Rao as well， Vinay's strength lies in his ability to focus on engaging trivia without losing focus on the larger picture。 Followers of Hindu Nationalism should first listen to the music of "Jugalbandi" before diving into scholarly prose。 。。。more

Sharad Hotha ，

This books is so much more than just a collection of on-record facts， while technically being nothing more than a collection of previously on-record facts。 For someone who follows politics of the day and a marginal understanding of the political history of independent India， there is no new knowledge that the book adds （in contrast to the author's book on PV Narasimha Rao， where he had access to unpublished personal notes of Rao）。 Yet， the dispassionate coming together of these facts ironically This books is so much more than just a collection of on-record facts， while technically being nothing more than a collection of previously on-record facts。 For someone who follows politics of the day and a marginal understanding of the political history of independent India， there is no new knowledge that the book adds （in contrast to the author's book on PV Narasimha Rao， where he had access to unpublished personal notes of Rao）。 Yet， the dispassionate coming together of these facts ironically builds the most comprehensive narrative I have come across around the history of the world's largest political movement。 。。。more

Vasudhendra Vasudhendra ，

Most of the Indians， especially men， love to talk and debate on politics。 But seldom have accurate knowledge on the subject。 This book tries to fill such knowledge gap on a specific subject。The book details about BJP as a political party， before Narendra Modi came to power。 It quotes many facts and references throughout the book and makes the narration unbiased。 Overall an interesting account of Vajapayee and Advani political carrier and their working together - a jugalbandhi。 Since my childhood Most of the Indians， especially men， love to talk and debate on politics。 But seldom have accurate knowledge on the subject。 This book tries to fill such knowledge gap on a specific subject。The book details about BJP as a political party， before Narendra Modi came to power。 It quotes many facts and references throughout the book and makes the narration unbiased。 Overall an interesting account of Vajapayee and Advani political carrier and their working together - a jugalbandhi。 Since my childhood and youth always filled with the news about these two politicians， many details were nostalgic。 。。。more

Nitin Nair ，

I read this over 4 days。 It's a great read and very informative。 I read this over 4 days。 It's a great read and very informative。 。。。more

Janeshwar Rangharajan ，

This book is a perfect start for people who are interested to know the history of BJP/Hindutva politics。

Girish Kamath ，

A fascinating read。 5 stars。Before reading this book， my impression about Advani， based on his rath-yatra， was very different。 Similarly， my impression about Vajpayee， based on his parliamentary speeches & media appearances， was of a liberal， straight-forward politician， an eloquent speaker。 After reading Jugalbandi， I am particularly impressed by Advani’s personality， viz。， firstly， his move of stepping aside & proposing Vajpayee as PM candidate reveals his self-awareness; secondly， Advani’s ab A fascinating read。 5 stars。Before reading this book， my impression about Advani， based on his rath-yatra， was very different。 Similarly， my impression about Vajpayee， based on his parliamentary speeches & media appearances， was of a liberal， straight-forward politician， an eloquent speaker。 After reading Jugalbandi， I am particularly impressed by Advani’s personality， viz。， firstly， his move of stepping aside & proposing Vajpayee as PM candidate reveals his self-awareness; secondly， Advani’s ability to read the mood of RSS and the country; and thirdly， Advani’s team spirit – he kept his anger private though snubbed by Vajpayee when BJP was ruling。 Whereas， contrary to public perception， Vajpayee comes across as a person whose political decisions were driven by his need to be accepted & loved by his fellow parliamentarians。 Both personalities have their strengths and flaws and both complement each other。 Several events shaped the nation during 1990s， viz。， the economic reforms， Mandal commission， rath-yatra， Ayodhya episode， Godhra massacre & it's aftermath， BJP loss after India Shining campaign， etc。 Like the writer， 1990s were my teen years， and， this book gives an intriguing behind the scene account of these political events。 This book is a ring side view of history as it happened and the writer is unbiased in his approach – which is rare nowadays。 Writing style is very fluid， fast paced; this book is a page-turner。 It’s a fascinating read。 5 stars。 。。。more

Rohan Singh Hans ，

This book traces back the lives （personal and political） of two biggest politicians from the Right。 The book， well researched， makes clear the point that Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani calibrated their politics as per the political atmosphere of their times。 The book is well organised and divided into three parts plus a Prologue and an Epilogue titled Postscript。 The challenge facing the writer in my opinion was to how to present information to a reader， who has been following politics since 90s， wit This book traces back the lives （personal and political） of two biggest politicians from the Right。 The book， well researched， makes clear the point that Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani calibrated their politics as per the political atmosphere of their times。 The book is well organised and divided into three parts plus a Prologue and an Epilogue titled Postscript。 The challenge facing the writer in my opinion was to how to present information to a reader， who has been following politics since 90s， without appearing repetitive。 So， in this aspect the writer has detected ne a decent job。In the end the writer gives his arguments on various aspects of Hindu Nationalism which one should go through。In conclusion， i think this book is a must read so that people can know about the hard work which Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani had to do and the compromises they had to make in order to raise the BJP。 While todays BJP has gone to a different trajectory altogether， the BJP of Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani still makes one feel nostalgic about the Vajpayee Years。 。。。more

Prakash ，

An unbiased narration of the national politics in the background with a focus on how did a union of fascinating leaders （ and interesting characters in their personal lives） shaped the new era of Indian politics。

Rohit Kumar ，

Phenomenal biography！ A must read for anyone interested in BJP's roots。 Addresses the convoluted intertwining of RSS， Hindu Maha Sabha， BJS & BJP。 Especially relevant today as historical facts have taken a back seat to folklore and perceptions。 Phenomenal biography！ A must read for anyone interested in BJP's roots。 Addresses the convoluted intertwining of RSS， Hindu Maha Sabha， BJS & BJP。 Especially relevant today as historical facts have taken a back seat to folklore and perceptions。 。。。more

Prasad GR ，

Jugalbandi is a brilliant work of nonfiction。 Vinay Sitapati’s deep insights， coupled with an engrossing narrative， make this an unputdownable book。 It has been a long while since I’ve read this good a book！It neatly summarises the political evolution of India post independence， and its shift from being driven by ideology to being driven by the need to win votes。However， the vivid portrait of a cynical polity sans any ideology in its unbridled pursuit of power breaks the reader’s heart。 And it’s Jugalbandi is a brilliant work of nonfiction。 Vinay Sitapati’s deep insights， coupled with an engrossing narrative， make this an unputdownable book。 It has been a long while since I’ve read this good a book！It neatly summarises the political evolution of India post independence， and its shift from being driven by ideology to being driven by the need to win votes。However， the vivid portrait of a cynical polity sans any ideology in its unbridled pursuit of power breaks the reader’s heart。 And it’s not just one party that is guilty - they are all in it together， while only sporting different shades。 。。。more

Anirudh ，

Well researched， taut and unbiased， Jugalbandi is a gem of a political biography。 The book describes the rise of Hindu Nationalism and BJP using the personal journeys of two of it's most iconic leaders - Atal Bihari Bajpayee and LK Advani， who were ironically poles apart in their own personalities and upbringing but somehow managed to act the glue that held the party together。 What I specially loved about the book was it's analysis on the history， ideology and prevailing circumstances which drov Well researched， taut and unbiased， Jugalbandi is a gem of a political biography。 The book describes the rise of Hindu Nationalism and BJP using the personal journeys of two of it's most iconic leaders - Atal Bihari Bajpayee and LK Advani， who were ironically poles apart in their own personalities and upbringing but somehow managed to act the glue that held the party together。 What I specially loved about the book was it's analysis on the history， ideology and prevailing circumstances which drove Hindu Nationalism and the actions of specific individuals。 When seen from an impartial lense it reveals that ultimately there is a grey area that all politics must contend with and a true statesman， as both Vajpayee and Advani were， must navigate these across party and ideology。 The book is a beautiful study on the relationship， personal and professional， between these two leaders and the evolution from prominence to obscurity。 It is also a study in contrast of the BJP then and now。 。。。more

Vijay Peddada ，

When we talk about Jugalbandi （playing duo） in Hindu nationalism and politics， the current generation speak about Narendra Modi and Amit Shah but our parents use to talk about the duo that actually took the hindu nationalism to wave Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani and our grandparents use to talk about Jugalbandi Shyam Prasad Mukharjee and Dheendhayal Upadhyaya。Vinay Sitapati's Jugalbandi provides this backstory to his current dominance in Indian politics。 It begins with the creation When we talk about Jugalbandi （playing duo） in Hindu nationalism and politics， the current generation speak about Narendra Modi and Amit Shah but our parents use to talk about the duo that actually took the hindu nationalism to wave Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani and our grandparents use to talk about Jugalbandi Shyam Prasad Mukharjee and Dheendhayal Upadhyaya。Vinay Sitapati's Jugalbandi provides this backstory to his current dominance in Indian politics。 It begins with the creation of Hindu nationalism as a response to British-induced elections in the 1920s， moves on to the formation of the BJP in 1980， and ends with its first national government， from 1998 to 2004。 And it follows this journey through the entangled lives of its founding Jugalbandi: Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani。Over their six-decade-long relationship， Vajpayee and Advani worked as a team despite differences in personality and beliefs。 What kept them together was fraternal love and professional synergy， of course， but also， above all， an ideology that stressed on unity。 Their partnership explains what the BJP before Modi was， and why it won。#VJBookReview 。。。more

Siddhant ，

A amazing read。 Written like a story， keeps you hinged。 It refreshed in my mind the history of Indian politics specifically the bjp and the rise of hindutva。 Understanding the basic logic behind this politics helps in understanding a lot of the decisions that are being made today。 Moreover the piece is very well researched and provides argument， counter arguments and references for every conclusion that it makes。

Louis Olakkengal ，

Brilliant Read

Vijay Krishnan A ，

A real Page Turner and a must read for Political aficionados。 This book deep dives into BJP realm and helps us understand how the BJP has shaped up into the mean election winning juggernaut of 21st century。 This also throws light into the formative years of both Jana Sangh， RSS and BJP; explains the party's stance throughout India's Electoral history。 Could not put down this book and a goodread A real Page Turner and a must read for Political aficionados。 This book deep dives into BJP realm and helps us understand how the BJP has shaped up into the mean election winning juggernaut of 21st century。 This also throws light into the formative years of both Jana Sangh， RSS and BJP; explains the party's stance throughout India's Electoral history。 Could not put down this book and a goodread 。。。more

Tanvi Bikhchandani ，

Extremely well-written and engaging。 However - it feels like journalism passing off as history or political analysis。 There are a number of instances where the author hasn't given complete information or made assumptions without evidence just to fit into his larger narrative。For example， in Chapter 1 and 2 - Sitapati is making the argument that the Congress pandered to Muslims by offering them separate electorates （and in essence leading them to be over-represented）。 The opening paragraph of Cha Extremely well-written and engaging。 However - it feels like journalism passing off as history or political analysis。 There are a number of instances where the author hasn't given complete information or made assumptions without evidence just to fit into his larger narrative。For example， in Chapter 1 and 2 - Sitapati is making the argument that the Congress pandered to Muslims by offering them separate electorates （and in essence leading them to be over-represented）。 The opening paragraph of Chapter 2 （"The Ghosts of Partition"） states that in the 1945 elections "Forty-eight seats were for 'Non-Mohammadan' voters and candidates and thirty for 'Mohammadans。' This makes it sound like 30/78 seats were reserved for Muslims - that's 40%！ Much more than their share of the population - which was ~25%。 I studied South Asian colonial history and that didn't sound right to me， so I looked it up。 Sitapati neglects to mention that there were 30 other seats and the total # of seats was 102！ So it was 30/102， which is 29% and much closer to the share of Muslims in India's population。 I've annotated a bunch of other such instances where there's incomplete information which nearly amounts to misrepresentation。 I usually don't feel motivated to write reviews - but I also don't appreciate sloppy scholarship。 Read the book - but don't take anything you read at face value。 Fact check， fact check， fact check。 。。。more

Rajesh Mohta ，

An interesting book giving good insight on the origins and internal working of BJP and RSS during Vajpayee Advani era。。 their internal bonding and disputes。。 And thought processInteresting take on various aspects of the Vajpayee govt functioning and politicsThe rise of Advani protege Modi at the fag end of Vajpayee eraMust read for BJP enthusiasts

Manish ，

My first proper recollection of an Indian Prime Minster's reign was the Vajpayee era which began in the mid 90s and went on till I graduated from college。 Hence， the backstory of this towering persona interspersed with the evolution of the Right wing in India was an important read for me。 My first proper recollection of an Indian Prime Minster's reign was the Vajpayee era which began in the mid 90s and went on till I graduated from college。 Hence， the backstory of this towering persona interspersed with the evolution of the Right wing in India was an important read for me。 。。。more

Abhishek Dalal ，

Terrific book on the seeds of the political Hindutva movement that is currently taking the country by storm。

Aravind Nagarajan ，

Interesting

Anushka Mitra ，

Two men， one charismatic， the other a hard-liner。 Together they led an act that perhaps changed Indian Politics forever。 Jugalbandi is a must read for those of us who have developed their political sensibilities in the post Atal-Advani era。 Brilliantly written， it traces the history of the BJP unto 2004 through the lens of the relationship between the two men who were monumental in shaping its course。 It provides excellent insight into the lives and politics of the two men and you perhaps unde Two men， one charismatic， the other a hard-liner。 Together they led an act that perhaps changed Indian Politics forever。 Jugalbandi is a must read for those of us who have developed their political sensibilities in the post Atal-Advani era。 Brilliantly written， it traces the history of the BJP unto 2004 through the lens of the relationship between the two men who were monumental in shaping its course。 It provides excellent insight into the lives and politics of the two men and you perhaps understand both a little better。 It is rare to find a non fiction with impeccable research that also reads like a paperback。 Jugalbandi keeps you hooked with its rich details。 It also makes one realize how starkly the BJP has changed under another duo。 。。。more

Virat hooda ，

True Wonderer“It was clear from the opening pair of Mookerjee and Deendayal itself that there was two sorts of politicians they would need: orators who could pacify parliament; organizers who carry along the cadre。 Vajpayee and Advani – yet to meet， yet to mature- would not have known it then。 But their party was anticipating their dispositions。”~ Jugalbandi by Vinay SitapatiAnd so it was that the political juggernaut of today “B。J。P” had it’s first 2 founding knights。 This was quite an interest True Wonderer“It was clear from the opening pair of Mookerjee and Deendayal itself that there was two sorts of politicians they would need: orators who could pacify parliament; organizers who carry along the cadre。 Vajpayee and Advani – yet to meet， yet to mature- would not have known it then。 But their party was anticipating their dispositions。”~ Jugalbandi by Vinay SitapatiAnd so it was that the political juggernaut of today “B。J。P” had it’s first 2 founding knights。 This was quite an interesting book， once picked and delved into it was hard to stop till you finish， for a book on politics it made for a fast paced reading， that’s something quite refreshing。 Vinay Sitapati caught my attention with his book on PM Narsimha Rao “Half Lion“， for a man who transformed India like no other that book finally gave him the credit he was due。 And Hence， I was looking forward to Sitapati’s this rendition， as Atal Bihari and Advani are no small men either。 And although the book chronicled their journey in some detail which were quite a joy to read， I did found some things that were a bother。The problem with politics is that you can never be neutral， however much you try， some tinge or other will ultimately shade your view & writings。 The best you can balance is try to include some of the ‘other’s’ perspective， and that’s the path Mr。 Sitapati has gone for。 He tries to explain the origin and reasons for the rise of Hindu Nationalism， their unity， and success， posing reasons as seen by the RSS and it’s other torch bearers， even providing a few scholarly nuances in the last section as well which are quite agreeable。 But his biasness also tinges the writing a little， whatever Vajpayee’s does comes out to be a little hypocritic， whatever Advani does comes as selfless or helpless。 Also Mr。 Modi is always in the background as a foreshadowing devil representing the worst of the Hindu nationalist movement。 Mr。 Sitapati more than once tips his hat to the liberal left by decrying the tactics of the BJP as anti-muslim and Islamophobic， in whatever context they might be， perhaps to gain their acknowledgment and acceptance or perhaps I'm just seeing things。 Also many parts of his book are heresy and his derived conclusions， where sometimes you feel he’s deliberately trying to connect events to prove his own assumptions。 Huh！ now maybe that’s not a bad thing， as this is how any hypothesis research is done， but to take this book as gospel and definitive account of history won’t be correct either。 It is Mr。Sitapati’s views and conclusions and to be fair to him， they are fascinating， well formed， logically derived and quite coherent， but again HIS views。The book is gripping from the get go， it’s divided into 3 parts， The Past（1924-80） outlining the events that gave rise to the eco system which created these 2 men， The Party（1980-98） outlining the foray these men enter into and create their own movement and it’s representation， and finally Power（1998-2004） when they reach their epitome and achieve what they set out to be for the very first time。 And through it all， you enjoy every little twist and turn。 These 2 great men brought the viable much needed and absolutely essential opposition that any functional democracy require。 Specially when the whole of politics is dominated by only one view because of the lack of any alternative。 Something which ironically we require currently against the views that these very men propagated， and made possibly dominating。 India has come full circle indeed。This is a great book， I whole heartedly recommend it to any history or political inclined reader， it’s a great study of resolve， ideology and mass movements as well。 Please pick this up and read about the bittersweet world of the famous Fraternal twins of Indian Politics。 。。。more

Aman Desai ，

There is a huge void of good political books in English in Indian。 Perhaps， one of the reasons could be that Indian journalists simply don't write as much as they should。 Hence， it is wonderful whenever an insightful book about the Indian politics and politicians comes about， occasionally as it can be。 This is one such book。 It is an apt portrayal of the Jugalbandi that shaped the principal alternative force to Congress in the country。 The history of the legendary BJP duo， Atal Bihari Vajpayee a There is a huge void of good political books in English in Indian。 Perhaps， one of the reasons could be that Indian journalists simply don't write as much as they should。 Hence， it is wonderful whenever an insightful book about the Indian politics and politicians comes about， occasionally as it can be。 This is one such book。 It is an apt portrayal of the Jugalbandi that shaped the principal alternative force to Congress in the country。 The history of the legendary BJP duo， Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L。K。 Advani。 This is the book to read if you want to get to know the behind the scenes of the BJP， RSS and VHP （since 1950s - now）。 。。。more

Sreeraag Mohan ，

A breezy， thoroughly engaging read on the rise of hindutva and the dynamic between the founding fathers of the Bharatiya Janata Party， Vinay Sitapati's Jugalbandi is a well-researched book that provides the reader with a larger understanding of the individuals， and the ideology that they espouse。 The author is adept at maintaining his equanimity and objectivity throughout his narrative， and offers interesting conclusions to multiple scholarly debates。 Though some readers might characterise the b A breezy， thoroughly engaging read on the rise of hindutva and the dynamic between the founding fathers of the Bharatiya Janata Party， Vinay Sitapati's Jugalbandi is a well-researched book that provides the reader with a larger understanding of the individuals， and the ideology that they espouse。 The author is adept at maintaining his equanimity and objectivity throughout his narrative， and offers interesting conclusions to multiple scholarly debates。 Though some readers might characterise the book as a weak attempt at revisionism， Jugalbandi for me is far removed from that moniker; it attempts to chronicle the bittersweet relationship between two towering personalities of Indian politics， and it does it well。 。。。more

Abhishek ，

No matter which side of the political spectrum you're on， this is a fascinating story。 To understand the state of India today， we have to understand the rise of Hindu nationalism and the rise of the BJP。 This book does exactly that going back almost 100 years。 Before deep diving into the review， the author deserves great praise for the citations and the notes that he has provided to back up his narrative throughout the book。 This goes a long way to build the confidence within the reader of the b No matter which side of the political spectrum you're on， this is a fascinating story。 To understand the state of India today， we have to understand the rise of Hindu nationalism and the rise of the BJP。 This book does exactly that going back almost 100 years。 Before deep diving into the review， the author deserves great praise for the citations and the notes that he has provided to back up his narrative throughout the book。 This goes a long way to build the confidence within the reader of the book。 The book overall looks at the political evolution of the hindu nationalism through the prism of the partnership between Vajpayee and Advani。 A friendship that spanned decades and was even a bit of a bromance。 At different stages， both had worked under each other， which is basically unheard of in our hierarchical sensitive Indian community。The book passed the simple stereotypes that linger around both men and gave me great insight into the RSS， the motivations for hindu nationalism and how this was a bottom up movement in which the politicians were merely rational actors responding to incentives from what was demanded of them by the electroate。 This principle still remains the same in the age of Modi and Shah today。The image that I had of both the men got punctured a little bit by this book。 Maybe Vajpayee's liberal hero image and LK Advani's staunch right winger image doesn't really square off from their completely opposite roots。 I'm actually interested in reading LK Advani's autobiography now。 I also developed a lot of sympathy for him in general。 The man just didn't catch a break！One of the other bigger points that the author makes is also that democracy in a group based society like we have in India at the time of independence and even to some extent today as well， incentivises politicians to constantly expand group size to conjure up majority， so that they can win elections。 And in that sense the BJP is a natural product of what you get when you introduce elections in India。 All BJP is trying to do is to expand the Hindu group。Understanding this structural arrangement， also then allows one to see the reason why a party which is inclusive within the Hindu group across different casts can be so anti any other community。 The old Hindu ideologs would never have allowed a tea seller to come up and do anything within their society， let alone have him lead the nation。 So， now when I see the opinion pieces about BJP's election success and the explanation comes that people voting for them are bigots， that seems very lazy。 While a section of population would definitely have nefarious reasons， it's certainly not enough to win BJP the kind of majority it enjoys。 The mobilization power of RSS is not to be underestimated at all。The book is riddled with some great anecdotes and quotes from people that'll make you chuckle as well。 This provides a much needed breathers throughout the book。It is at this point， I must say while I personally do not subscribe to a lot of the arguments， it is commendable however that at no point， the author lets his bias show。 If you're a BJP supporter， it's a great book to indulge yourself in the path that has led to this absolute power today。 The concenses building by the previous BJP government was while a political constraint， the author makes a great statement about how if you wear a mask for long enough that becomes your reality。 Maybe that's why we see Vajpayee ji as a moderate。 One can only speculate。If you're in opposition to BJP， this is basically the playbook of how BJP wins elections and what drives them。 Understanding the motivations and drive provides great insight then into how to plan for a counter against this party。 In conclusion， while there are 2 protagonist in this book， it is difficult to see who's the hero indeed。 Very highly recommended！ In fact if you're planning to read only one book this year， and you have any interest in Indian politics， make it this one。 。。。more

rahul kumar ，

The scholarly work needed to understand the times we live in。 Fabulously written and brilliantly researched。 The only criticism， if I had to， Sitapati seems to like advani more than vajpayee， and I find it a criticism because I like vajpayee more than advani :）

Anurag Mishra ，

The book is good with propoganda 。 The lot of prejudices that are hold against BJP and definitely against Mr。 Modi are seen everywhere in the book。 The description of Gujarat Riots is totally supporting one way narrative made prevelant by the leftisit cable over decades。 Though the author himself has written a book on a Ex PM to negate his role in babri masjid demolotion and his role as a HM during the 1984 riots。 But in case of other PM he is ready to sell the half baked story。 Vajpayee ji init The book is good with propoganda 。 The lot of prejudices that are hold against BJP and definitely against Mr。 Modi are seen everywhere in the book。 The description of Gujarat Riots is totally supporting one way narrative made prevelant by the leftisit cable over decades。 Though the author himself has written a book on a Ex PM to negate his role in babri masjid demolotion and his role as a HM during the 1984 riots。 But in case of other PM he is ready to sell the half baked story。 Vajpayee ji initial devotion towards the RSS is totally ignored instead he is just shown as an opportunist。 The book portrays ADVANJI AND VAJPAYEE JI as near to saint figures from whose shadow a monster like MODI has comeout。 Some facts and stories mentioned are definitely a first time read to me。 Like the plagirism of integral humansism， outstating of some members of RSS ， how vajpayeeji was pranked to run his gwalior elections etc。 。。。more

Karthik Ram ，

Breezy read for Indian political history enthusiasts。 Essentially a love story between Vajpayee and Advani。 Nope， they aren't Modi and Shah。 Advani seems to have the author's sympathy。 There will never be a "but。。。" for the damage he personally caused Indian society。 That's a） another book and b） my opinion， so will save the rant。Major claims I found myself agreeing with - a） Hindu nationalism's secret sauce is 'unity' ， b） The BJP and Congress are not dissimilar - both great at starting fires t Breezy read for Indian political history enthusiasts。 Essentially a love story between Vajpayee and Advani。 Nope， they aren't Modi and Shah。 Advani seems to have the author's sympathy。 There will never be a "but。。。" for the damage he personally caused Indian society。 That's a） another book and b） my opinion， so will save the rant。Major claims I found myself agreeing with - a） Hindu nationalism's secret sauce is 'unity' ， b） The BJP and Congress are not dissimilar - both great at starting fires they can't control。 Also， the author says "inchoate" a lot。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=जुगलबंदी : भाजपा मोदी युग से पहले

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=जुगलबंदी : भाजपा मोदी युग से पहले&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,जुगलबंदी : भाजपा मोदी युग से पहले&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0