Rising unemployment and stuttering economy: Challenges of PM Modi 2.0

Narendra Modi signs documents after taking the oath as PM. Pic/AFP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is only the third PM after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi to return for a second successive term with a full majority. The focus shifts almost immediately from celebrations to the challenges faced by the man who powered his party to 303 seats in the LS.

A stuttering economy, deepening agrarian crisis, rising unemployment and a hostile Pakistan are the immediate issues that await the attention of PM Modi 2.0. There are expectations the Modi government will usher in further economic reforms to complement initiatives like Goods and Services Tax to boost the economy.

As he seals his legacy as one of post-independent India's most powerful leaders - described by the opposition as the most contentious and divisive - Modi is the man mainly Hindu India has embraced.

He will also face mounting expectations over the building of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. The prime minister needs to, at the same time, allay apprehensions of the Muslim community in a bid to counter the feeling of alienation among a section of minorities in the last five years.

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