Books and writing
Indian Black Money Abroad: In Secret Banks and Tax Havens (2011)
BJP Task Force report. He co-wrote two reports for a BJP task force with S. Gurumurthy, R. Vaidyanathan and Mahesh Jethmalani. The first interim report came out in April 2009. They urged India to join the Financial Action Task Force and share financial intelligence for security purposes.
BJP Task Force: Indian Black Money Abroad, second report (2011) · Wikipedia: Ajit Doval
Nani Palkhivala Memorial Lecture: The defensive offence lecture (2014)
SASTRA University, Thanjavur. Delivered in February 2014 while he headed the VIF. He called India’s response to the 2008 Mumbai attacks weak. He set out defensive offence as the middle path between restraint and all-out war. Widely cited as the founding text of the “Doval Doctrine”. Commentators later linked it to the 2016 and 2019 strikes.
MP-IDSA: Defensive offence and offensive defence · Scroll: Doval’s SASTRA lecture (6 January 2016) · Wikipedia: Ajit Doval
Dream India 2030: Avoiding the Pitfalls: Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture (2018)
All India Radio. His case for a strong and stable government over the following decade. He warned against weak coalitions and soft power. He stressed democracy and the rule of law and cited Brazil as a warning.
Address to IPS probationers: Passing-out parade (2021)
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad. He told new IPS officers that civil society is the new frontier of war. He said police would share in managing India’s 15,000 km of borders. He asked them to be transformational.
IIT Madras Convocation Address: 62nd Convocation (2025)
IIT Madras, Chennai. His first long public account of Operation Sindoor. He said India hit nine targets across Pakistan in 23 minutes and missed none. He challenged foreign media to show one image of damage in India. He called for indigenous technology. The Tribune noted these were his own claims as reported by PTI.
Sardar Patel Lecture on Governance (2025)
National Unity Day lecture. Given on 31 October 2025. He tied governance to national security and pointed to the fall of governments in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. He also said terrorism in India had been effectively countered.
ANI (31 October 2025) · Wikipedia: Ajit Doval
Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue: Opening address (2026)
Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Spoken to about 3,000 young delegates on 10 January 2026. He said wars happen when countries impose their will by force. He asked India to grow strong in every field and not only at its borders.
Deccan Herald (10 January 2026)
Rashtriya Raksha University Convocation Address: Fifth convocation (2026)
Rashtriya Raksha University, Gandhinagar. Given in April 2026 in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu. He said a nation’s willpower matters as much as its military strength. He told graduates that security is a game with no silver medals.
Overview · Life · Ideas · Books · Videos · Debates · People I learn from