New challenges for Modi in 2015

The actual circumstances are cloudy. Officially Hinduism does not proselytise; indeed there are some believers who claim that only those born into Hinduism can practice it. Both the VHP and the RSS say the incidents were in fact reconversions of former Hindus who had been lured into Christianity and now saw the light.

Whatever the case, this does not sit well in supposedly secular India where freedom of religion is written into the constitution and especially for Modi's BJP which had its beginnings in the RSS and is still seen my many of its detractors as dancing to the RSS's tune.

In fact the party has been gradually moving away from its Hindu nationalist roots, firstly under moderate Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and now under Modi who promotes a progressive conservative agenda dedicated to economic expansion, which has the support of business groups and many of the nation's intellectuals.

However the Opposition National Congress Party which has ruled India for most of the 67 years since independence has seized on the conversion issue and can still use its majority in the Rajya Sabha (Parliament's Upper House) to hold up legislation.

Major Bills aimed at boosting India's poor economic record in recent years, including the introduction of a national goods and services tax, the privatisation of coal mines and raising the cap on overseas investment in insurance from 26 per cent to 49 per cent, are stalled.

To make matters worse international commentators are once again raising the issue of the deadly 2002 Gujarat Hindu-Muslim riots which occurred early in Modi's lengthy tenure as the State Chief Minister. Allegations that Modi was complicit in the riots were later dismissed by India's High Court, but the mud continues to stick.

All this could have a negative effect on Western investors considering a response to Modi's Make in India campaign, launched with great fanfare in September, which has the aim of attracting businesses from around the world to manufacture and invest in the country creating millions of jobs in the process.

The Prime Minister also needs overseas funds for other headline projects such as high-speed rail and cleaning up the Ganges and other pollution-choked rivers.

There is no doubt that Modi's initial successes in the first seven months of his administration have come in diplomacy, with visits to a swathe of countries including Brazil, Japan, the United States and Australia. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was an early visitor to New Delhi and further excursions to the United Kingdom, Germany and Russia are planned for this year.

It now remains to be seen if the Modi Magic, so potent on the campaign trail and in his overseas travels, can be used to quell his difficulties at home.