But for Shourie the most urgent reform was to ‘salvage the institutions of the state’, including clogged courts, partisan law enforcement agencies and corrupt politicians.

"Governance norms and governance have collapsed," he said. "So if it is a single reform it will be in governance not in the economy."

One problem was the fractious political landscape, with smaller parties with a regional agenda often calling the shots.

"The electorate has been completely splintered. The result is that there is no national election, no national issue," he said.

"I feel that this being mesmerised by growth rate figures is actually misleading, because the tree of the state is being hollowed by termites that is the political class."