Just over a year ago, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reeled from the worst election setback of his career, speculation mounted that the nation’s most dominant politician in a generation was at risk of losing power.
Opposition groups and commentators openly discussed whether Modi might finally step aside after his party was forced into a coalition government for the first time since coming to power a decade earlier. Fanning the speculation was the fact that Modi would soon turn 75 — his party’s unofficial retirement age, and a milestone when other Indian leaders in his party had ceded power.
That chatter picked up last month after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped India with 50% tariffs and called its economy "dead.” Although the two leaders have since moved to mend ties, exchanging positive words in a call Tuesday, Trump’s abrupt U-turn had amounted to an embarrassment for Modi, who invested personally in the relationship and had shifted India closer to the U.S.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.