Sanjaya Baru is a

political commentator A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport). Origins The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...

and

policy analyst Policy analysis is a technique used in the public administration sub-field of political science to enable civil servants, nonprofit organizations, and others to examine and evaluate the available options to implement the goals of laws and electe ...

. He served as Secretary General of the

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India. History Established in 1927, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi by Indian businessman G.D. Birla an ...

(FICCI) until his resignation in April 2018. Prior to this, he was Director for Geo-Economics and Strategy at the

International Institute of Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England. The 2017 Global Go To Think ...

. He was Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's media advisor and chief spokesperson (PMO) from May 2004 until August 2008. He has also served as associate editor at ''

The Economic Times ''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. It is owned by The Times Group. ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961. As of 2012, it is the world's second-most widely read English-language bu ...

'' and ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'', and then chief editor at ''

Business Standard ''Business Standard'' is an Indian English-language daily edition newspaper published by Business Standard Private Limited, also available in Hindi. Founded in 1975, the newspaper covers the Indian economy, infrastructure, international busin ...

''. Baru writes a column for ''

Civil Society Magazine Civil may refer to: * Civic virtue, or civility *Civil action, or lawsuit * Civil affairs *Civil and political rights * Civil disobedience *Civil engineering * Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism *Civilian, someone not a m ...

'' called Delhi Darbar. His father B. P. R. Vithal was Finance and Planning Secretary during Dr. Manmohan Singh's tenure as Secretary of Finance in the Government of India.

''The Accidental Prime Minister''

In April 2014,

Penguin India Penguins (order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adapt ...

published '' The Accidental Prime Minister'', Baru's tell-all memoir about his time at the Prime Minister's Office. In it, Baru alleges that the prime minister was completely subservient to

Congress President The President of the Indian National Congress is the chief executive of the Indian National Congress (INC), one of the principal political parties in India. Constitutionally, the president is elected by an electoral college composed of members ...

Sonia Gandhi, who wielded significant influence in the running of the Singh administration, including the PMO itself. The book sparked off a controversy, with the office officially denouncing it as "fiction".Anu Anand.
Indian PM Manmohan Singh 'not in charge', new book claims
. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''. 11 April 2014. Baru has said that he set out to show an empathetic portrait of the prime minister.

Works

* The Political Economy of Indian Sugar: State Intervention and Structural Change (1990) * Strategic consequences of India's economic performance (2006) * The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh * 1991: How P.V. Narasimha Rao Made History by Sanjaya Baru (2016) * India and the World: Essays on Geoeconomics and Foreign Policy (2016) *

India's Power Elite ''India’s Power Elite'' is a 2021 political commentary book by Indian policy analyst Sanjaya Baru Sanjaya Baru is a political commentator and policy analyst. He served as Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce ...

(2021)

In popular culture

Based on Baru's book ''The Accidental Prime Minister'' Rudra Production Limited and

Pen Studios Pen Studios (formerly Pen India Limited) is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Dr. Jayantilal Gada on 31 March 1987. Based in Mumbai, it mainly produces and distributes Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films. In 1992, th ...

released a film of the same name in January 2019 in which he has been portrayed by

Akshaye Khanna Akshaye Khanna (born 28 March 1975) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. He is the son of actor Vinod Khanna. He has won numerous awards in his career including two Filmfare Awards, three Screen Awards and two IIFA Awards in varied ac ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baru, Sanjaya Living people Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni Indian male journalists Indian newspaper journalists Indian political journalists Manmohan Singh administration Academics of the University of East Anglia 21st-century Indian journalists Year of birth missing (living people)