BOOK REVIEW: PMO: PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE THROUGH THE YEARS
REVIEWED BY: LOKENDRA SINGH, MA, FIRST YEAR, CPS, JNU
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Professor Himanshu Roy is a professor of Political Science, Centre for
Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His publication include Peasant in
Marxism (2005), Secularism and its Colonial Legacy (2009), Salwa Judum (2014), State
Politics in Indian (2017), Indian Political Thought (2017), Indian Political System (2018),
Political Thought in Indic Civilization (2021), Social Thought in Indic Civilization (2022).
PMO (Prime Minister’s office) becomes the fulcrum of Indian administration. It has been
developed as an extraconstitutional body which becomes pivotal over the period of time in
Indian Democracy. So, it is very important to understand the nuances of PMO. Book deals
with multiple significant aspects of PMO.
Firstly, Book traces the historical trajectory of PMO since colonial period to PM Narendra
Modi’s time. Warren Hastings, the first governor-General’s Executive council (EC), has four
private secretaries (PS) in 1774. later, during Viceroy Willingdon, who initiated the practice
of letting the secretary to attend the council meetings. After, independence. Nehru has
desired for a high powered secretariat which has failed because of Patel. But at the time of
Shastri, he created the grand PMS which subsequently became the part in Indian
administration.
Secondly, book discusses the role of PMO in Congress and Non-congress year. During Nehru,
he has seen PMS from the individual centric approach to promulgate powered authority but
has failed because of refusal by Patel and others. but later, during congress years Shastri
onwards, role of PMO has increased but during coalition government, role of cabinet
secretariat was better into play. Book also discusses the PMO under PM Modi. Under him,
PMO is the most digitalized, responsive and transparent office than his predecessors.
Thirdly, book deals which another important aspect of PMO which is changing in
organizational and power structure of PMO under different prime ministers of India. at the
time of Nehru, PMS was just to provide secretarial assistance to PM. But late 1970s, under
Indra Gandhi PMS was to assist PM in every possible way. It has acquired the status of ‘super
cabinet’, ‘mini government’. Similarly, nomenclature of PMO has changed from PPS to
secretory to PS under Nehru, Shastri and Indra Gandhi respectively; Vajpayee created new
post of National Security Advisor. Book also deals with functions associated with PMS under
different PM.
Fourthly, book engages with another important debate between cabinet government and
prime ministerial government. Cabinet government which is constitutional in nature assisted
by cabinet secretariat whereas PMO which promotes prime ministerial government is an
extraconstitutional device. It deals with the historical causes which lead to rise of PMO in
India instead of cabinet secretariat whereas in Britain, evolution of PMO to employ prime
ministerial government has been opposed through rebellion by cabinet colleagues or
turmoil against the PM within the party.
Finally, book does a comparative analysis of PMO in England, Canada and Australia. In
England, there is a slowest growth in the expansion of PMO. On the other hand, in Canada,
development of prime ministerial form is much faster with ‘presidentializing’ the form of
prime ministerial functioning. Whereas, in Australia, centralization of power of PMO is mean
of both England and Canada.
So, book is very important to understand the dynamism of PMO. Book deals with very
nuances of PMO either in historical trajectory, evolutional trajectory or changing
nomenclature of it under different prime ministers. Comparative analysis of PMO add
another important aspect which recognises the importance of PMO in nowadays. There are
other aspects as well which book engages with.
