Pandemics, Wars And 24x7 Scrutiny: How PM Modi's Challenges Differed From Nehru's

Key points

• Pandemics, Wars And 24x7 Scrutiny: How PM Modi's Challenges Differed From Nehru's Published By, Last Updated: June 04, 2026, 15:11 IST PM Modi is governing an India that is larger, more interconnected with the global economy, more politically competitive, and more exposed to international developments.
• Rapid Read PM Narendra Modi and India's first PM Jawaharlal Nehru.
• File image/AFP Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to surpass Jawaharlal Nehru’s record as India’s longest continuously serving democratically elected Prime Minister on June 10, 2026. Both have occupied the office during transformative periods in India’s history, but the challenges they confronted were markedly different.
• Nehru led a newly independent nation seeking political stability, institution-building, and economic self-reliance after centuries of colonial rule.
• PM Modi, meanwhile, has governed an India that is larger, more interconnected with the global economy, more politically competitive, and more exposed to international developments than ever before.