BOOK REVIEW 73 movements while at the same time discussing the interface between them. The book is divided into eight chapters. First, the theoretical postulates are put forward. Emergence of rural power is a lately developing phenomenon in industrial countries. How in India rural power (in the form of NFMs) emerged in the relatively early stages of industrialization? The answer provided is that while in the West democracy followed industrialization, in India democracy preceded industrialization. This is what allows various movements to occupy a prominent place in national politics. The book deals extensively with the possibilities of repression, accommodation containment of the movements. It is made clear that while democracy allowed the movements to come to the forefront there were other factors such as the shift in state strategy towards agriculture which helped them. The shift from Nehru's institutional strategy (which contained three elements: (a) land reforms (b) co-operatives (c) local self government institutions} to technocratic strategy (price incentives-new technology-subsidies based strategy) is discussed in great detail. The book carefully discusses the origins of Indian green revolution policy. The rest of the book elaborates how the price incentives-technology-subsidies policy came to stay totally replacing the institutional strategy. This policy shift is seen to have begun during the prime ministership of Lal Bahadur Shastri. The policy shift is seen as primarily because of indigenous initiatives. The advice of foriegn agencies in favour of policy shift is seen as having come only later post factum. The shift from institutional strategy to technocratic strategy has preceded the emergence and growth of rural power and the former is not a consequence of the latter. That is to say rural power did not bring about the shift in strategy. The emergence of Charan Singh in national politics is seen as the beginning of the emergence of rural power. Rural power is seen to have emerged in both ways, that is (a) in 'politics above', that is in terms of number of agriculturists represented in parliament and in political, parties and (b) in 'politics below', that is in terms of price related agitations and movements. Thus this book registers a steady growth of rural power in national politics starting from the early seventies to the present. Varshney also deals in great detail with the arguments that characterize NFMs as essentially rich peasant movements and rejects the view that the movements benefit rich and middle peasants alone. Varshney argues that these movements also benefit small farmers where all the landed peasantry is drawn in to the market and in a situation where the distinction rmer is increasingly getting blurred. The book also deals extensively with the inter-ministerial, inter-bureaucratic and intra-bureaucratic politics. Particular attention is paid to the tussles between the Planning Commission, agriculture ministry and finance ministries. Varshney pays special attention to the politics