One of the narratives of the Bharatiya Janata Party on the eve of the general election in May-June this year was that India, under the Narendra Modi government, was beginning to claim her rightful place in the world. It was growing at 7 per cent, was the fastest growing major economy, was poised to become the world’s third largest economy by 2027 and, with policies aimed at improving the ease of doing business, was attracting the best of investment from overseas. Becoming a manufacturing hub for the world for at least some goods also seemed well within sight.