India's Static Power Structure.

All the fifteen essays and short articles on Indian politics included
in this volume were written over a period of three and a half years,
beginning with Mrs. Indira Gandhi's rule in early 1966. Some
of them were published, while others were prepared for discussions,
seminars or symposia and remained unpublished for one reason
or another. During this period several eassys on other subjects
also, particularly economics, my main field of study, were pub-
lished. But in order to focus attention directly on only one subject,
namely, contemporary Indian politics, these have been omitted.
The book was in the press when the crisis in the Congress Party
exploded in mid-July and continued unabated till the end of
August. A new chapter has been added to bring the analysis to
date. As the typewriter rattled, the political weather-vane over
New Delhi kept veering waywardly backward and forward until
it settled down in a breezeless lull that was brought about by the
so-called unity resolution of the Congress Working Committee.
This new chapter appears at the beginning and not at the end of the
book so that the readers can prospectively evaluate the problems
of Indian political development discussed in other chapters, as
well as retrospectively judge the predictive quality of the major
conclusions drawn therefrom.
Except for some editorial changes, the essays appear as they
were written originally. Although no general apology or excuse is
offered for the collection, apology is given without reservation for
a few repetitions which are bound to creep into such a collection.
These essays have been divided into two parts. In Part One are
included those which deal with the static structure of power in
which the Congress Party, its leaders, and the Prime Minister
carry on their struggle either for power or for survival. Despite
repeated shocks administered to it, the structure of the Congress
Party remains static. The structure also remains unstable because
it cannot manage change within itself and without a crisis.