India, Feb. 9 -- Mr Narendra Modi has come a long way since 2013-14. Candidate Modi was all about vikas (development). The bulk of the 31 per cent of the electorate that voted for the BJP in May 2014 was swayed by the slogan Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas (Together with All, Development for All). There was another catchy slogan: Achhe Din Aane Wale Hain (Good Days Are Coming).
Then there were the promises: 15 lakh in the bank account of every citizen; 2 crore jobs a year; doubling the income of the farmer; minimum government, maximum governance; the rupee trading at 40 to a dollar; a fitting (and final) reply to Pakistan; and many others. Prime Minister Modi kept up the rhetoric.
In his first Independence Day address on 15 August 2014, he propo...