The power of focus

An Indian prime minister's job is daunting by almost any yardstick, writes Kanika Datta

With the 2019 elections looming, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoped to catch a little of the stardust of his predecessor when he opted to walk the 5 km route behind the funeral cortege of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. This was ironic, given the distinctly uneasy relationship between the two in their heydays. The differing shade of their saffron politics is not the only distinguishing factor between India’s most polarising prime minister and one who drew admiration across the ideological spectrum. One is considered to have mismanaged the Indian economy big time; the other was remembered as a competent economic manager.

Without straying