NEW DELHI — He called himself India’s watchman, even as minorities said they felt unsafe under his gaze. He spoke the language of business, yet could not deliver enough jobs to Indians aspiring to a better life. Despite those contradictions, Narendra Modi, India’s incumbent prime minister, led his party to a stunning election victory on Thursday, eviscerating the opposition and giving Hindu nationalists the strongest hand they have ever held in modern Indian history. “This is the victory of the mother who was longing for a toilet,” Mr. Modi said in a speech to supporters on Thursday night. “This victory is of the farmers who sweat to fill the stomachs of others.”

Source: New York Times May 23, 2019 13:50 UTC