Modernisers and revivalists: How Mr Modi compares with Nehru

Both Mr Modi and Nehru have been modernisers, but their records of projects have similarities and contrasts, writes T N Ninan

Narendra Modi has emerged as a builder whose multifarious projects have imprinted themselves on the physical map of India, and its mental space, as perhaps no one has done since Jawaharlal Nehru. Whether it is refashioning government structures at the heart of New Delhi, building a new Parliament House, and constructing the world’s tallest statue, Mr Modi has embarked on projects that have symbolic and demonstration value. For good measure, he has implanted himself firmly in the Hindu qua Hindu mind by laying the foundation stone for the Ram temple at Ayodhya, inaugurating the Kashi Vishwanath corridor in Varanasi, and