J S Deepak memoir recounts telecom, RCEP and Commonwealth Games decisions

'I Dared to Dial Differently: An Insider's Account of the IAS' by retired civil servant J S Deepak has been published by Hachette India, running XI+318 pages at ₹799. The 1982-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre IAS officer covers the 2010 Commonwealth Games, telecom policy from 2007 to 2010 and India's 2019 trade negotiations. The book says the then telecom minister disobeyed the Prime Minister's directives on 2G spectrum auctions, and that Deepak influenced India's RCEP withdrawal.

Written by AI from Business Standard · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 14 Sept 2026, 11:43 pm IST

Source

Business Standard · read the original report ↗

#book review#ias#telecom#rcep#commonwealth games#governance

Desk check · some claims need care

What the desk checked (5)

'I Dared to Dial Differently: An Insider's Account of the IAS' by J S Deepak is published by Hachette India, XI+318 pages, priced ₹799 — Bibliographic details appear directly in the source text.
Deepak is a 1982-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre who served as telecom secretary and India's Ambassador to the WTO — Stated in the source; attributed to the book's account of the author's career.
The then telecom minister disobeyed the Prime Minister's directives to auction 2G spectrum — Attributed to the author's account via the reviewer; no minister is named and no independent sourcing given.
Deepak played a key role in influencing the Modi government's withdrawal from RCEP — Reviewer's summary of the author's claim; not independently sourced.
The 2010 Commonwealth Games would have been a disaster but for intervention by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar and a team of special officers — Explicitly presented in the source as the author's belief.

Written by AI from Business Standard · not yet reviewed by an editor · How we use AI · Report an error

Analysts’ view opinion

AI రాజకీయ విశ్లేషకులు · తెలుగు

ఒక రిటైర్డ్ ఐఏఎస్ అధికారి పదవి విరమణ అనంతరం ఇంత త్వరగా, ఇంత నిర్మొహమాటంగా రాయడం ఢిల్లీ రాజకీయ వర్గాల్లో ఖాళీగా పోదు. 2జీ స్పెక్ట్రం వేలంపై ప్రధాని ఆదేశాలను అప్పటి టెలికం మంత్రి పాటించలేదన్న అంశం — ఇది సంకీర్ణ ప్రభుత్వ బలహీనతకు అధికారిక లోపలి సాక్ష్యంగా చిత్రించడం — యూపీఏ కాలపు 'పాలనా శూన్యత' కథనాన్ని తిరిగి రాజకీయ చర్చలోకి తెస్తుంది. మరోవైపు ఆర్‌సీఈపీ నుంచి భారత్ వెనక్కి తగ్గడంలో తన పాత్ర ఉందని దీపక్ చెప్పడం, మోదీ ప్రభుత్వం ఆ నిర్ణయాన్ని 'రాజకీయ' కాకుండా 'సాంకేతిక, అధికారిక సలహా ఆధారిత'మని సమర్థించుకోవడానికి ఉపయోగపడే వాదన.

2జీ ప్రస్తావన బీజేపీకి పాత అస్త్రాన్ని కొత్త ప్యాకింగ్‌లో ఇస్తుంది — మంత్రి ప్రధానిని ధిక్కరించారన్న లోపలి కథనం విమర్శకు సులువైన ముడిసరుకు.
అదే సమయంలో కథనం ఏకపక్షం కాదు: 3జీ వేలం విజయవంతంగా జరిగిందని, కేబినెట్ కార్యదర్శి నేతృత్వంలోని అధికారుల జోక్యం సీడబ్ల్యూజీని కాపాడిందని పుస్తకం చెబుతోంది — అంటే వ్యవస్థ మొత్తం విఫలం కాలేదన్న సూక్ష్మభేదం ఉంది.
ప్రధానిని 'విద్వాంసుడు కానీ సరైన నిర్ణయాన్ని అమలు చేయించడంలో బలహీనుడు' అని అభివర్ణించడం — కాంగ్రెస్‌కు వ్యక్తిగత అవినీతి ఆరోపణ కాదు, కానీ నాయకత్వ సామర్థ్యంపై ప్రశ్న, రాజకీయంగా అదే ఎక్కువ ఇబ్బంది.
ఆర్‌సీఈపీపై దీపక్ వాదన స్వదేశీ, రైతు, పరిశ్రమ వర్గాల నిరసనలను సమర్థించే ఆర్థిక తర్కాన్ని బలపరుస్తుంది; అయితే ఆ నిర్ణయాన్ని విమర్శించిన ఆర్థికవేత్తలూ ఉన్నారని మూలకథనమే చెబుతోంది.
విస్తృత రాజకీయ సందేశం — మంత్రుల, సీనియర్ అధికారుల అధికారం జూనియర్ అధికారుల సంస్కరణ ప్రయత్నాలను ఆపగలదన్న అంశం, పార్టీలకు అతీతంగా పరిపాలనా జవాబుదారీతనంపై చర్చకు దారితీస్తుంది.

What to watch — కాంగ్రెస్ లేదా అప్పటి టెలికం శాఖ సంబంధిత వ్యక్తులు ఈ ఆరోపణలను ఖండిస్తారా, బీజేపీ నేతలు దీన్ని ప్రచార అంశంగా ఎత్తుకుంటారా — ఇదే పుస్తకం పుస్తక సమీక్షగా మిగులుతుందా, రాజకీయ వివాదంగా మారుతుందా అని తేల్చుతుంది.

ఇది ఒక అధికారి వ్యక్తిగత కథనం మాత్రమే; 2జీ ఆదేశాల ధిక్కారం, ఆర్‌సీఈపీ నిర్ణయంలో రచయిత పాత్ర ఎంతవరకు నిజమో స్వతంత్రంగా ధ్రువీకరించే ఆధారాలు ఈ కథనంలో లేవు, సంబంధిత వ్యక్తుల ప్రతిస్పందనలూ ఇందులో నమోదు కాలేదు.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 5 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

"I Dared to Dial Differently: An Insider's Account of the IAS", a memoir by retired IAS officer J. S. Deepak, has been published by Hachette India (XI+318 pages, ₹799). Deepak, a 1982-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre officer, served in the ministries of communication and commerce, became Secretary of the Department of Telecommunications and India's Ambassador to the WTO. The book gives a first-hand account of three controversial episodes: the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, telecom policy from 2007 to 2010, and India's trade negotiations in 2019 leading to withdrawal from the RCEP. It is notable because retired civil servants rarely publish such insider accounts so soon after leaving office.

Key facts

The memoir is titled 'I Dared to Dial Differently: An Insider's Account of the IAS', published by Hachette India, XI+318 pages, priced ₹799.
J. S. Deepak is a 1982-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre; his original name was Deepak Saksena, changed by school authorities in Bengaluru where he was born and grew up.
He served in the ministries of communication and commerce, later as Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, and as India's Ambassador at the WTO.
The book says the then telecommunication minister simply disobeyed clear directives from the Prime Minister to conduct auctions for allocating 2G spectrum.
The same government conducted the first auction of 3G spectrum in 2010, which earned plaudits from all quarters.
Deepak was posted to the Department of Telecommunications as joint secretary on deputation to the Union government from 2008 onwards.
An early supporter of India joining RCEP, Deepak changed his mind and played a key role in influencing the Modi government's withdrawal, a move criticised by many economists.
In 2010 Deepak was drafted into a small team of officers to complete Commonwealth Games preparations; he credits Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar and that team with averting a disaster.

Timeline

2007 to 2010Period of telecommunication policy covered in the book, including the 2G spectrum allocation controversy.
2008 onwardsDeepak posted as joint secretary in the Department of Telecommunications on deputation to the Union government.
2010First auction of 3G spectrum conducted, earning praise from all quarters.
2010Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi; Deepak drafted into a small team of special officers to complete preparations on time.
2019India's international trade negotiations; Deepak, then Ambassador to WTO in Geneva, influenced the decision to withdraw from RCEP.

Who has a stake

J. S. Deepak (author, retired IAS officer) — His account of decision-making in telecom, trade and the Commonwealth Games, and his own role in each.
Manmohan Singh government — Depicted as a weak coalition government with a governance deficit; the PM is described as learned but weak in enforcing decisions.
Narendra Modi government — Took the final decision to pull out of RCEP in 2019, influenced by Deepak's advice.
Then telecommunication minister — Accused in the book of disobeying clear Prime Ministerial directives to auction 2G spectrum.
K M Chandrasekhar, then Cabinet Secretary — Credited with the last-minute intervention that the author says saved the Commonwealth Games from disaster.
BSNL and MTNL — State-owned telecom firms whose problems the author says he made little headway in fixing.
Junior civil servants — Book highlights how ministers and senior officers can thwart reform moves initiated by junior officials.

Why it matters

The memoir offers a rare insider account of how ministerial discretion, coalition compulsions and inter-institutional rivalry shaped major national decisions — 2G and 3G spectrum allocation, Commonwealth Games preparations and India's exit from RCEP. It illustrates both the vulnerability of the bureaucracy to political pressure and the capacity of individual officers to make a process fair and transparent, as in the 2010 3G auction.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

RCEP: Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a proposed trading bloc India withdrew from in 2019.
India's first 3G spectrum auction was conducted in 2010 under the Manmohan Singh government.
The Commonwealth Games were held in New Delhi in 2010.
J. S. Deepak: 1982-batch IAS officer, UP cadre, former Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, and India's Ambassador at the WTO.
K M Chandrasekhar was Cabinet Secretary at the time of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) and MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited) are state-owned telecom companies.

Mains framing

J. S. Deepak's memoir is a case study in the political economy of Indian administration: identical governance structures produced a 2G spectrum episode where a minister openly disregarded the Prime Minister's directive to auction, and a 3G auction in 2010 widely praised as fair, transparent and efficient — the difference lying in ministerial intent and the resolve of a few civil servants. The account attributes the 2G failure to the governance deficit of a weak coalition government and to the ability of ministers and senior officers to thwart reform attempts by junior officials, while the near-fiasco of the 2010 Commonwealth Games is traced to inter-institutional politics resolved only by a last-minute intervention led by the Cabinet Secretary. On trade, the book shows how an official's changed reading of negotiating strategy — his concern that safeguards insulating India from steep tariff reduction had been tweaked — fed into the Modi government's RCEP withdrawal, a decision many economists criticised. The implications point to the need for rule-bound, auction-based allocation of natural resources, insulation of civil servants who resist irregular orders, clear accountability for project delivery, and institutionalised evidence-based advice in trade negotiations rather than reliance on individual conviction.

Key terms

RCEP: Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a proposed trading bloc; India withdrew, a decision the author says he influenced.
Spectrum auction: Competitive bidding to allocate telecom airwaves; the PM's directive to auction 2G was disobeyed, while 3G was auctioned in 2010.
IAS cadre and batch: An IAS officer's allotted state and year of entry; Deepak is 1982 batch, Uttar Pradesh cadre.
Deputation: Posting of a state-cadre officer to the Union government, as Deepak was to the Department of Telecommunications from 2008.
Cabinet Secretary: Senior-most civil servant of the Union government; K M Chandrasekhar's intervention is credited with saving the 2010 Games.
BSNL and MTNL: State-owned telecom operators whose structural problems the author says he could not fix.

Practice questions

The contrast between the 2G spectrum allocation and the 2010 3G auction shows that outcomes depend less on structures than on political intent and bureaucratic resolve. Discuss.
Examine the accountability challenges faced by junior civil servants when ministers and senior officers resist reform, with reference to recent insider accounts.
India's withdrawal from RCEP in 2019 was criticised by many economists. Critically evaluate the considerations that can justify staying out of a mega trading bloc.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

Next storyTwelve nations urge stronger EU role in Arctic, cite Russia threat →

← All stories