2 days ago
Challenges galore for Modi
This year's Independence Day will mark a personal milestone for Narendra Modi as it will be the first time that he will unfurl the national flag as the second longest continuously serving Prime Minister of the country. However, he may not bask in this glory in his I-Day speech given that it is not a national achievement, and the fact that there are more pressing issues that he and his administration would have to reckon with. Much to the chagrin of the opposition, he should be credited with the successful economic reforms and infrastructure development that he has brought about since assuming office for the first time way back in 2014, although falling short of his 'achhe din' claims by several notches. When dwelling about the intervening 12 months between last and this I-Day, one can conclude that this was a mixed bag vis-à-vis promises and their delivery. Quite significantly, the two prominent developments make for an agony and ecstasy saga. The earlier surgical strikes seemed like a dress-rehearsal for the overwhelmingly successful 'Operation Sindoor'; it was an aggressive retaliation that stunned the world, particularly the precision with which it was executed.
The operation drew global praise because it was to teach Pakistan's trigger-happy 'think tank' a befitting lesson. It was a time when New Delhi had to prove to the world that they will not turn a Nelson's Eye when its people are butchered by enemy forces from across the border. The brutal massacre of 26 innocent persons, including 25 tourists, in the Baisaran meadows of Pahalgam, in Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, had to be dealt with a spade for a spade tactic and that is precisely what India did. The macabre by Islamabad-sponsored terrorists was too deadly for one to remain silent spectators. It was also an occasion for India to show that they would not forever follow Gandhian principles; when they strike, they would do so in such a way that civilians would not be targeted, unlike the cold-blooded perpetrators from Pakistan, who kill people on the streets.
Like the joy brought in by astronaut Shukla, Operation Sindoor was a momentous occasion and an ecstatic moment that was last seen after the Kargil War, but it was short-lived. The Modi administration was jolted by the tariff bombshell dropped mercilessly by the Donald Trump administration. And this is where the challenges lie up ahead for Modi as the trade and tariff war can only further escalate. The much-anticipated summit between Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladamir Putin may end up in an anti-climax as the US president continues to warn Moscow while Putin will play his cards on the table, if at all the talks happen. The priority of the Russian boss, who is yet to rethink on Ukraine, would be in keeping India in good humour as he can strike a tough bargain on supply of oil. Apart from handling the tariff threat, Modi has a bigger task on hand. The litmus test comes in the form of elections in Bihar and later in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, whose outcome will have a direct bearing on his administrative dexterity. He would do well by not merely harping on Operation Sindoor's success but concentrating on taking the country towards Viksit Bharat@2027 at a time when unemployment remains in double digits.
