Alistair Lexden’s letter about the Amritsar massacre a hundred years ago this month, published in The Daily Telegraph on 3 April (see below), drew comments from a reader, Chris Devine. In a letter published in the paper on 8 April, he denounced British rule in India, and praised An Era of Darkness (2016) by the Indian politician, Shashi Tharoor, describing the book as “a singular exploration, from the Indian side, of rapacious British exploitation of India. It should be compulsory reading for all those who erroneously believe that Britain was a force for good on the Asian subcontinent.”
In a rejoinder which The Telegraph printed on 11 April, Alistair Lexden made clear that he was unimpressed by this extremely biased account of British India. Though short, it was the main letter in the paper that day.
SIR - Chris Devine (Letters, April 8) advises me to study the account of the “rapacious British exploitation of India” by Shashi Tharoor.
It is hard, however, to agree that this controversial politician has written a definitive historical work. He regards Churchill as among “one of the more evil rulers of the 20th century, only fit to stand in the company of Hitler, Mao and Stalin”.
Lord Lexden
London SW1
