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 ¡ª 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.
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