NEW DELHI, June 17 -- On June 9, 2024, I attended the church service. It was the first Sunday after the results of the elections held for the 18th Lok Sabha were announced. It was after a long time that I met many of the parishioners. They knew that I am a journalist. That may be the reason why many of them confided in me their sense of relief over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's failure to win 400-plus seats.

Many of them believe that their prayers have been answered. In the first three elections under Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress won over 400 seats. In 1984, the Congress under Nehru's grandson, Rajiv Gandhi, won more than 400 seats. Nobody dreaded such numbers. Why was there so much fear about Modi crossing 400 seats?

Modi came to po...