With his characteristic insight into Indian affairs, Shri Kulkarni examines in this book the reasons for the country's political and economic malaise. He points out that the people of India had no traditions of democracy before the present Constitution was introduced. During its dominion over this country for nearly two centuries, Britain made no serious attempts to accustom them to free institutions.

Shri Kulkarni holds that the Congress party, which inherited power from the British, has virtually forgotten its ideals of public service and that it has bred a multitude of opportunists and self-seekers. These men, according to him, are largely responsible for the ills of the country. He considers that parliamentary government cannot succeed in India without a sound party system and believes that Congress monopoly of power at the Centre and in many States is a great obstacle to national progress.

The author pleads for a reappraisal of the constitutional provisions relating to the powers of the President and the Governors by recognising the realities of the Indian situation. He feels the need for an ultimate authority to avert the evils of one-party hegemony at the Centre and of multi-party governments by self-seeking politicians in many States. The President and the Governors, who should function as that ultimate authority, must be charged with the responsibility of ensuring stable and efficient government.

Shri Kulkarni's book, which is based on study and reflection, makes bold and original suggestions for dealing with the country's problems. It is as timely as it is challenging.

JOURNALIST and author, Shri V. B. Kulkarni is an experienced writer with many widely-read publications to his credit. More than three decades ago, he joined journalism as a special correspondent for several national dailies and later became a leader writer in a Bombay newspaper.

Shri Kulkarni served on The Ceylon Daily News, Colombo, for two years and returned to India soon after national independence in 1947. He took up the Editorship of The National Standard and The Sunday Standard before the former was converted into the present Indian Express and edited his paper with much distinction.

Shri Kulkarni has written a number of books dealing with history, politics, economics, education and many other subjects. His works have won wide recognition for their uniform excellence. For instance, his British States- men in India, described by The Times Literary Supplement, London, as a large, detailed and well-written book, has been welcomed for its lucid and unbiased presentation of the British Indian history.

Other books by Shri Kulkarni-The Indian Triumvirate, Heroes who made History and British Dominion in India and After-have also been published by the Bhavan and are welcomed with equal enthusiasm.

This book, the second edition of which is now being issued, was in print when the Indo-Pakistan war broke out in December 1971. Since then much water had flowed under the bridges in the country. The shortcomings of the Indian democracy discussed in the book became even more pronounced in the ensuing years. National politics plumbed new depths of degradation. Politicians continued to change their party loyalties with as much ease and frequency as they changed their clothes. Pursuit of power and riches became the sole aim of their public activities. Large sums of money were collected from the moneyed classes in the name of raising party funds, a good portion of which flowed into the pockets of individual politicians.

No less a person than the Prime Minister was attacked in Parliament and outside, associating her name with the col- lection of huge sums of unaccounted money for the ruling Congress party to fight the elections. The late Frank Moraes, Editor-in-Chief of The Indian Express, was most forthright in his criticism of Mrs. Indira Gandhi for her involvement in such transactions.

Corruption and malpractices, which had struck roots in the Indian soil during the second World War, grew rapidly. They became a way of life, causing widespread demoralisation and reducing the hope for a regulated growth of the economy to a chimera. The size of the black money, a powerful stimulant to inflation and a potent cause of the rupee's debasement, was at one time estimated to be of the staggering order of Rs. 2,000 crores! An expert body declared categorically that "almost every sign of distress and human misery would appear to have been manipulated by anti-social elements to boost the parallel economy".