The Silent Coup: A History of India's Deep State

356 Pages·1.97 MB·English

by  Josy Joseph

Praise for A Feast of Vultures:
The Hidden Business of Democracy in India
‘This is a book about the truth about our nation. It
confirms what we already suspect and shocks us further
by unravelling the workings of the Indian system.’ –
Crossword Book Award Jury, 2017, for the best book in the
non-fiction category
‘This is an irritatingly brilliant book. Too sweeping, too
condemnatory, and, perhaps, too true. This is not the kind
of book Indians write. Such books are mostly written by
foreign correspondents who after a stay of two or three
years presumptuously do their obligatory “India book”.’ –
Harish Khare, The Tribune
‘Corruption emerges from a poorly regulated, unfree
economy; personalities are irrelevant. Parties still need to
be funded; allies still need inducements. I will not repeat
all of what he has revealed and collated about the
manner in which crony capitalism continues in the Modi
era; buy A Feast of Vultures and be convinced yourself.’ –
Mihir Sharma, Business Standard
‘This is a book that will depress you. It won’t be an
overstatement to say that it is a pessimistic take on
today’s India, but at the same time, it is a must-read for
every Indian. The book paints a realistic picture of the
country, which, sadly, never gets depicted in the works of
our academicians or even journalists.’ – Rishi Raj, The
Financial Express
‘Josy Joseph’s A Feast of Vultures is an important, if
sobering read, meticulously researched and intelligently
written. India is a rich nation of poor people, and the
vultures that prey on the common person are the
everyday fixers, the multimillion-dollar-deal middlemen,
and the billion-siphoning crony capitalists. The book starts
with India’s poorest and ends with the richest, leaving no
doubt that the departure of the venal United Progressive
Alliance (UPA) has made no difference to business as
usual.’ – Aditya Sinha, Mint
‘Award-winning investigative journalist Josy Joseph’s book,
A Feast of Vultures, brings to the surface a narrative that
calls for the cry of change in India. Exposing how our
democratic system has been hijacked long ago, the book
is explosive and frightening. It contains damning evidence
against some of the largest businesses in India and
highly-established politicians.’ – Iftikhar Gillani, DNA
‘Part memoir, part reportage and part polemic, Joseph’s
book is a cautionary tale of a nation losing its way
because of an unchecked breakdown of some of its
critical institutions. Rage seeps through the pages, and
there is little hope. But there is some modest
redemption  …  When Joseph shines a light on the dark
corners and the frayed edges and the decaying heart of
the world’s biggest democracy, it’s a good time to ask:
when will Indians confront their realities head on?’ –
Soutik Biswas, Open
‘A Feast of Vultures is lending voice to millions of Indians,
simmering with anger over huge corruptions … Joseph’s
book is a big hope if not for changing, then at least for
challenging the prevailing development discourse and
pervasive corruption and rivalry in the upper echelons of
power. A compelling multi-layered inquiry of deep
corruption at the highest level of business and politics
which must be read by activists, writers, teachers,
students and public intellectuals to check the claims of
transparency in governance and integrity in delivery of
public promises.’ – Manzar Imam, The Criterion Journal
‘Every Indian citizen should read this book. It would
perhaps even be advisable to translate this book into
various Indian languages to ensure that it reaches
everyone.’ – Karthik Venkatesh, Café Dissensus
‘In a time of strong charismatic leadership and whooping
political changes, Josy Joseph’s A Feast of Vultures reveals
the truth about democracy in India … The book comes up
as a reality check for all those who believe in the efficacy
of post-socialist India. The sad truth about democracy in
India is that politicians come and go, the filthiness does
not. It stays there, poisoning the entire system and laying
down a path for systematic exploitation and destruction
of a nation.’ – Tejas Vasani, LegalBites.in
‘Award winning journalist Josy Joseph wrote this book
feeling anguished by the sheer scale of corruption in
India, its dilapidated institutions and the deep immorality
at the heart of its democracy. This is a fascinating study
of an ugly India, a must read for those who care for the
country and its future.’ – IANS

First published by Context, an imprint of Westland
Publications Private Limited, in 2021
1st Floor, A Block, East Wing, Plot No. 40, SP Infocity, Dr
MGR Salai, Perungudi, Kandanchavadi, Chennai 600096
Westland, the Westland logo, Context and the Context
logo are the trademarks of Westland Publications Private
Limited, or its affiliates.
Copyright © Josy Joseph, 2021
ISBN: 9789390679539
The views and opinions expressed in this work are the
author’s own and the facts are as reported by him, and
the publisher is in no way liable for the same.
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without express written permission of the
publisher.
Dedicated to my parents Annamma and Joseph and other
children of independence,
In defiant hope that your greatest celebration won’t turn
into our worst nightmare.
Contents
Start Reading
Prologue
PART ONE A TALE OF MUMBAI
1 A Distant Echo
2 Ripped Apart
3 Meet the Bombers
4 Raiding Mumbai
5 Free at Last
PART TWO MANY TALES OF INDIA
6 A Valley in Flames
7 Our Boys
8 The Militancy Enterprise
9 The Hijack and its Aftermath
10 Our Brutal Existence
11 Gujarat Model
12 Chaos
Notes
Acknowledgements