Inside Power & Politics: Subhash Chandra Garg’s Bureaucratic Battles
Former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg opens up to Barkha Dutt on clashes with ministers, RBI disputes, and the art of surviving Indian politics.
In a candid conversation with Barkha Dutt, former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg discussed his turbulent journey in the civil services, documented in his book No Minister. Garg shared tense moments with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, including sharp exchanges over policy differences and personal misunderstandings that led to his decision to quit the IAS. He recounted similar strains with Vasundhara Raje during his Rajasthan tenure, and reflected on witnessing Dr. Manmohan Singh’s “twin humiliations” during the controversial UPA-era ordinance episode opposed by Rahul Gandhi.
Subhash Chandra Garg also delved into policy disputes with RBI Governors Raghuram Rajan and Urjit Patel over surplus funds and electoral bonds, defended the latter as a “lesser evil” in political funding, and critiqued U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff tactics, advising India to walk away from disadvantageous trade negotiations. On India-China trade, he stressed pragmatic engagement over political posturing, given critical import dependencies.
Discussing bureaucratic integrity, Subhash Chandra Garg noted that junior officers often wield more direct power to resist political pressure, while senior roles require strategic persuasion backed by subject expertise.
Bottomline by Barkha: “Power is complex—knowing when to stand your ground and when to navigate the system is the real test of steel.”
Quote from Subhash Chandra Garg: “If you don’t treat transfer as punishment, you can truly stand up to political pressure.”
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