Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography

Margaret Alva spent forty years in Indian politics, serving under four Prime Ministers: Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, P.V. Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. She later moved from politics into the role of Governor. This autobiography is her frank account of that career.

She came to politics as the inheritor of a legacy, since the Alva family has been tied to the Indian Parliament for over half a century. She writes about her trials and triumphs and takes on the controversies that have marked her career. These include her expulsion from the Congress party in 1979, her clashes with Sanjay Gandhi, her part in planning Rajiv Gandhi's last campaign tour, and her involvement in the Jain Hawala investigation while in charge of the CBI. She also covers her public criticism of seat manipulation within her own party and the events that led to her 2008 resignation as AICC General Secretary in charge of eight states.

The story moves between Mangalore, Bangalore, New Delhi and the wider world, with portraits of family, friends and rivals, and rare glimpses of national and international political figures. It shows the policies and the manipulations behind them, and it presents the story of a simple life that became remarkable, told with the candour for which the author is known.