Michael Brecher: Succession in India. A study in Decision-making. Oxford University Press.
Brecher is a well-informed student of the political scene in India, especially in Delhi. Most of this book is a study of the manner and consequences of the choice of Shastri as successor to Nehru when the latter died in May 1964. Nehru’s death was an event that had aroused much anxious speculation beforehand. Brecher has gone round Delhi buttonholing politicians and observers, and delving deep into newspaper files, to ascertain exactly what happened from hour to hour during the six days and nights between the death of Nehru and the elevation of Shastri. His conclusion is that the top ranks of the Congress party handled a grave crisis ‘smoothly’ and ‘maturely’.