NEW DELHI, May 31 -- The stunning margin of victory for the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was rightly seen as the personal triumph of Narendra Modi, the darling of the masses and torchbearer of aspirational India. Subsumed in the applause were the game-changing contribution of the dubious Balakot strike and the recurrent theme of nationalism that were exploited brilliantly by the ultimate showman to smother the widespread pain caused by the blunders of the government, particularly in relation to the economy. In the event, irrespective of the catastrophic missteps during the previous five years, on 23rd May, 2019, Modi had India at his feet, indubitably the most powerful PM ever.
The sweeping victory was a godsend for a man who has be...