2019 was a significant year for India, the world's second most populous country. It witnessed major political and economic changes under its Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The man many believe is reshaping the India's history.

After a landslide victory in the country's 2014 general election, Modi was re-elected for second term this year with an even bigger mandate. The win came after a heated 2-month long election campaign.

Apart from local issues, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) put Pakistan at the core of its election agenda.

In the month of February, a convoy carrying security personnel was attacked in Indian-controlled Kashmir. 40 soldiers lost their lives and India blamed the ambush on Pakistan.

12 days later, Indian airplanes crossed the border and dropped bombs in Balakot on Pakistani soil. Pakistan retaliated a day later with fighter planes dropping their payloads in Kashmir.

The escalation brought the two-nuclear armed nations to the brink of war. Global powers intervened to avert a full-blown conflict. While seeking votes, Modi repeatedly referred to the attack and the Indian military's retaliatory airstrikes.

The election strategy worked to perfection. No Indian prime minister has retained power with such a resounding mandate in five decades.

Armed with a thumping majority, in August Modi took one of the biggest decisions of his second term. Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which gave special status to the region of Jammu and Kashmir, was effectively scrapped. The Muslim-majority region was divided into two union territories, which meant that the central government in Delhi would run the show in Kashmir.

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Four months on, many parts of Kashmir remain under a tight security blanket with an internet shutdown in place. Hundreds of politicians including three former chief ministers are still in detention.

In November, India's Supreme Court ruled that a Hindu temple could be built on a long-disputed site, where a mosque was razed by a Hindu mob in 1992.

The scrapping of Article 370 in Kashmir and the temple issue had long been part of the ruling party's election manifesto. Many saw the developments as fulfillment of those election promises.

Until then, it seemed there was nothing that could stop the Modi juggernaut.

Earlier this month, he took another huge step by passing a new citizenship law which prevents Muslims from three neighboring countries from acquiring Indian citizenship.

The law, for the first time created a legal structure to grant Indian nationality on the basis of religion.

The new law sparked a wave of protests and clashes across India. Critics argue the law violates the Indian constitution and prepares the groundwork for marginalizing nearly 200 million Indian Muslims.

The Indian Prime Minister has denied the allegations: "Congress and urban-naxals have been spreading rumors about detention centers. They are all lies. They are ill-intentioned and all lies, lies and lies."

The continuing backlash to the citizenship law isn't the only problem Modi faces.

India's GDP growth rate has plummeted to 4.5 percent in September, the lowest in 6 years. The unemployment rate is at a 45-year high. Consumption is down, so is manufacturing.

Asia's third largest economy is going through its most challenging phase in recent years but the Indian government believes the worst is over.

Experts say 2020 will be a crucial year for India. A lot will depend on how the government handles the ongoing social unrest and resolves its economic woes.

Which way will the country turn: To the path of recovery or on a downhill slide to disorder? India is at the crossroads with Modi at the wheel.