Mahesh Prasad is a retired IAS. He has served as the Cabinet Secretary of India. Belonging to Lucknow of UP, he is known for his strict adherence to the ethics of serving people and wide knowledge that he possesses on plethora of areas.
He has written 'No Minister' to show the truth that is the open secret behind the nexus between politician and bureaucrats. However, according to him, it is the bureaucrats who is more sincere than the politician. To prove his point he also forwarded some examples and explanations.
This book stems from his wide experience as the IAS. The book is written in a very lucid form and intended to serve the general masses.
T N Sheshan says ' ‘A very honest account of a very hard working civil servant. Proves that even today a good civil servant will say “yes” when he can but also 'no' when he must. Mr. Prasad's book is proof that governance in this country has survived many vicissitudes. My congratulations to the author.’
The bard wrote: ‘The course of true love never ran smooth’. The same is
true of this book. It is the memoirs of a civil servant who followed
the path of rectitude.
This is an interesting autobiographical account full of anecdotes and
the author’s personal observations on the bureaucracy, politics and
life.
It covers a fascinating period in India’s political and administrative
fabric and gives us insights into the working of the civil services. As
Mahesh Prasad observes, ‘The career of a civil servant which may appear
to be glittering to outsiders is an eternal struggle’. As he says,
there are those who are happy saying ‘Yes, Minister’, and so reap the
benefits that come their way. Those who dare to oppose the Minister
have to face the consequences.
Dealing with the steel frame, it unveils the seeping in of corruption
and inequity in the bureaucracy. The book is replete with self-
deprecating humour and bon mots and is well worth a read.
At last, a highly readable book.