Sanjaya Baru's book "fundamentally contradicting": Shashi Tharoor

NEW DELHI: Terming Sanjaya Baru's book on Manmohan Singh "fundamentally contradicting", senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor questioned how the details could be true when the author himself was not associated with the PMO during UPA-II, the period he has cited in the book.

"Baru has praised the PM and the government during the UPA-I when he used to be the PM's adviser between 2004-2008, ironically, he raised his concerns on the same PM when he left the office. So, I find the book fundamentally contradicting," said Tharoor.

He told reporters after the launch of a book "The New Indian Middle Class, the Challenge of 2014 and Beyond" written by former diplomat Pavan K Varma in the capital.

Citing the book which talks about the Indian middle class, Tharoor, without naming anyone or any political party, said people should not rely on one who makes "false" promises by painting a picture as the issues that could be solved overnight.

"The middle class is capable of utilising its energy and anxiety in right direction, it is passionate about every issue it is facing. Since the class is going to play an integral role in the general elections, they need to be cautious," said Tharoor.

Lauding Varma for highlighting the issues, the scenario and the position of the Indian middle class ahead of general elections in his book, he said Varma has successfully compiled their causes in an excellent manner which is highly appreciated.

Varma said the Indian middle class, which is around 250 million in strength, is passionate and angry. "They want to get engaged with the issues affecting their lives but at the same time, they expect someone would come with a magic wand and would address their issues overnight".

"When Anna Hazare raised the concerns related to the middle class, they united and thronged the streets to support him, expecting a sudden change. They also showed their anger during Nirbhaya protest in Delhi," said Varma.

This is not a political book but has a political message for people, said Varma.