Matters of Discretion  (English, Hardcover, Gujral I.K.)

I. K. Gujral’s autobiography, Matters Of Discretion: An Autobiography, is an honest account of the former Prime Minister’s life and a journey from the Partition to his time at the helm of the government.

Summary Of The Book

I. K. Gujral’s Matter of Discretion: An Autobiography provides the life story of the author who contributed significantly to India's growth, and his straightforward and candid account of the political battles faced by him.

Gujral entered into the political realm knowing the risks associated with such a battle. He provides an honest view of the events that took place during the Partition in 1947. There were millions of people who had to cross from Pakistan to India and begin life afresh. It was not easy and many lost their lives in search of a new home. His resilience and perseverance led him to join the Indian Congress Party. In 1964, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha.

During the period of Emergency, he was in-charge of Information and Broadcasting. This was associated with arbitrary censorship laws. Trying to protest against the unjust laws imposed as a result of this, he was replaced by Indira Gandhi, and he was assigned the role of the ambassador for the USSR. He was a fair and duteous ambassador and was praised for his political diplomacy and tact.

After this, he entered into Indian politics again by joining the Janata Dal. He also handled external affairs under the guidance of Deve Gowda and V. P. Singh. It was in 1997 that Gujral achieved his greatest political achievement by becoming the Prime Minister of India. Under his leadership, the country saw the formation of a coalition government. There were several improvements made in the form of the Gujral Doctrine, which contained 5 guidelines in order to improve foreign relations.

Matter of Discretion: An Autobiography was published in 2011 and is the only autobiography by a former Indian Prime Minister.

About I. K. Gujral

Inder Kumar Gujral was the twelfth Prime Minister of India and a noted Indian politician associated with the INC and the Janata Dal. Born on the 4th of December, 1919, in Jhelum, British India, he studied business management from different colleges such as Hailey College of Commerce, D. A. V. College, and Forman Christian College University. He joined the Indian Independence struggle and was jailed for participating in the Quit India Movement. In 2012, he died of lung infection.