Friend Ram Madhav has written a fine piece on Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaching an important milestone. On 10 June, he writes, Modi completes 4,399 days in office uninterruptedly as prime minister, overtaking Jawaharlal Nehru’s record of 4,398 days.

The awkward word 'uninterruptedly' is used because Indira Gandhi was in office for almost 6,000 days. No doubt our leader will cross that number in time as well.

What is more interesting here is Madhav’s assertion that 'Modi, undoubtedly, will be remembered as the most effective and successful prime minister of India'. His reason for this is that Modi 'is midway through his third term as the prime minister. Yet, his dominance over Indian political landscape remains towering and unchallenged. He is certain to break more records as he continues to lead the country for many more years to come'.

Yes, longevity is important and staying at the crease for an extended period is also important to some people. But from the audience’s perspective, what is relevant is what is on the scoreboard.

Here, the problem is that, unlike longevity, the data is unclear. Madhav says among Modi’s achievements is that India’s GDP doubled in the last one decade. But it has doubled in each decade........

© National Herald