How does a "fair-minded Opposition MP look back at the Modi years"? This is one of the imminent questions driving Congress MP and author Shashi Tharoor's new book, The Paradoxical Prime Minister (Aleph Book Company) that, at its core, critically analyses the last four years of PM Narendra Modi's rule, and the tragedy of the "achhe din" he once promised. Modi, Tharoor writes, "claimed to be strong in every area where the UPA was weak". "He projected himself as an able, effective and decisive chief executive, a true Indian nationalist, unbeholden to anyone else, who had risen from the grassroots, and one without the baggage of a poor governance record in national politics," says Tharoor. But, as the book unfolds, Tharoor through his brilliant scholarship, systematically breaks down Modi's policies to show why the BJP leader's claims are highly discordant with India's reality. In a no-holds-barred interview, the writer puts into perspective the story of a leader, whom he calls the Duryodhana, of our times.

This is a very nuanced account of a person, whom you do mention, you had some good things to say about at one point, and of whose politics, you were hopeful. Would you say that this book is a direct result of the disillusionment you feel, four years on?
Yes, I was initially prepared to give him — and those who had voted for him — the benefit of doubt, and I felt that if he lived up to his statements made during the election campaign and immediately after his victory, it could have benefited the nation. Unfortunately, the statements and promises turned out to be hollow and the book reflects my disenchantment with the gap between rhetoric and reality.