Of Shalya, economic slowdown: Modi out attacking critics of his Mahabharata

Modi's response is meant to shut up some elements within BJP as he has also offered the proverbial olive branch to industry with assurances on GST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday referred to his critics, who had blamed the government for the current economic slowdown and questioned his policies on demonetisation and the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST), saying there were many Shalyas today who spread pessimism and got a good night’s sleep only after spreading gloom and hopelessness. A K Bhattacharya analyses the comment and Modi's decision to retort.

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It is not very common for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond to criticism -- and rarer still that he should choose to compare some of his critics with a character from