KRISHAN Partap Singh’s Young Turks is an entertaining political novel. Especially if one were the regular news and gossip column reading kind. One can identify most of the characters in the novel with contemporary real life characters in politics. And the media too. There are shades of several of our channel anchors and editors.
At the heart of the novel are two friends, a Hindu and a Muslim, who grow up together from Uttar Pradesh. Their political pursuits take them to different parties but they continue their friendship.
There is sufficient dosage of bomb blasts, kidnap for exchange of prisoners, and political intrigue. The test of the friendship of the two comes when the incumbent Prime Minister Naidu dies and the successor has to be chosen. Both the two men heading two of the biggest political parties are contenders. While there is a standoff between them, a third name is being suggested. A TV anchor, friendly to both, puts them together to thrash out a compromise. That is when Singh delivers a shuddering scenario. The Muslim becomes the Prime Minister, leaving Deputy Prime Ministers to the friend. A readable novel.
-VN
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