It's not over till it's over

Despite the disastrous handling of the pandemic, Narendra Modi could still bounce back

Most criticisms of India’s response to the Second Wave of Covid use the word “smug”. The government was, it is now clear, much too smug because of its self-proclaimed success at fighting the First Wave, and therefore, not prepared for the Second Wave.

In much the same way, the term “smug” could also be applied to the government’s critics and the political opposition who take the line that the Prime Minister is in so much trouble over his government’s mishandling of the pandemic that it is downhill for him from now on. 

They may turn out to be right but