The Accidental Prime Minister: The man behind the insider account

New Delhi, Dec 28: People of India hardly know the nitty-gritty of working in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). A lot about the working within the PMO came to light, when Sanjay Baru, the former media advisor to former PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh wrote the book, 'The Accidental Prime Minister.'

The book is all set to become part of the popular culture with the release of the movie which is based on the book and also named after it.

Baru's predecessors did not write any books about the PMO. Late Shrada Prasad, who served as media advisor to Indira Gandhi for 15 years, did not write much about the inside stories of the PMO.

Hence Baru's book went on to generate much curiosity.

Who is Sanjay Baru?

In 2004 Sanjaya Baru joined Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as his media adviser in UPA 1. Singh offered him the job with the words, 'Sitting here, I know I will be isolated from the outside world. I want you to be my eyes and ears. Tell me what you think I should know, without fear or favour.

As Singh's spin doctor and trusted aide for four years, Baru observed up close Singh's often troubled relations with his ministers, his cautious equation with Sonia Gandhi and how he handled the big crises from managing the Left to pushing through the nuclear deal. In this book he draws for the first time a revelatory picture of what it was like for Singh to work in a government that had two power centres.

In fact, Dr Singh knew Baru even before he appointed him as his advisor. Also, Baru's father B. P. R. Vithal was Finance and Planning Secretary during Dr.Manmohan Singh's tenure as Secretary of Finance in the Government of India. Baru served as Dr Singh's advisor from 2004 to 2008.

In the movie, Akshay Khanna, donning the role of Sanjay Baru will be seen narrating the story. Ace actor Anupam Kher is playing the role of Manmoham Singh, the protagonist of the book.