Popular leaders and patchy economic legacies: Can Modi buck the trend?

The last three PMs who served full terms started out in their early 70s. Mr Modi is younger and fitter. Now he needs to find it in him to change course if he is to beat economic odds, writes T N Ninan

Narendra Modi turns 70 next week. He has been prime minister for the past six years and more, and chief minister for nearly 13 years before that. He did well by the Gujarat economy, raising its performance on many parameters — though perhaps not as much as claimed. He introduced novel solutions to old problems, and was full of focused energy and drive. The arrival of the Narmada waters and use of new cotton strains helped to rapidly raise agricultural production. But projects like the Gujarat International Financial Tec-City have made slow progress.
 
For all that, he has changed