Losing Neighbors

Losing Neighbors


The last five years had been very crucial as a country for India. We have seen changes with respect to relations our immediate neighbors. Post 26/11 resulted in a bitter side of Pakistan relations while the change of government in Bangladesh was a pro India decision by its people. While Pakistan was never a good neighbor, the relations with Bangladesh always depended on the regime of the elected government.


Since India never seemed to be very confident of Pakistan and Bangladesh relations, therefore a small change of relation in any form does not affected the polity and diplomacy to large scale. Although, the underlining U-turns are expected from Sri Lanka and Nepal, both were considered close allies of India in various forums internationally. Also, both represent cultural part of Indian sub continent. Tamils of Sri Lanka and India are same people and have a close affinity to each other. Similarly Nepal free borders, Pashupati Nath and a major Hindu demography make it a part of cultural state of the sub continent. Nonetheless, the Gorkhas in Indian Army are the Nepali and eastern UP people. The marriages of Indians with Nepalese are common and traditional too. The huge migration of people from Nepal to India for work was never questioned in India. Bollywood is another binding in the rock solid relations of India with Nepal. The famous actress Manisha Koirala comes from Nepal. The participation of Nepalese in various talk shows and reality TV shows is also integrating. All in all, Nepal had always been a closest ally of India in everything.


However the last four years had been a drastic change in the polity of these nations. The overthrow of the Kingdom in Nepal by Maoist party and a direct war of Sri Lanka with LTTE is going to change a lot of things as far as India is concerned. This change is expected not in favor of India. The effective dullness and poor foreign policy of India is the reason why India may no more enjoy the affinity of these countries. Let see this one by one.


Sri Lanka is struggling with LTTE from over last three decades and the reason was the unfair treatment given to Tamils as minority. The Singhalese always considered Tamils as a second grade citizens. This resulted in poverty and sufferings to one community in island nation. Moreover these are the people whom India relates itself to. Prabhakaran was supported as result, to lead a mass movement, to fight for the rights by the then Indira Gandhi government. But as many say, power comes with responsibility; the finicky LTTE chief took hasty decisions of assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, which resulted in India withdrawing complete support. Well the first and foremost loss of Tamil cause was then started. Although there were many sympathizers of Tamils, which included some Dravidian parties but they were merely vocal cords. They were almost in every government at the center and state but never energized any flux to the foreign policy relation to Sri Lanka. In last 4 years, India seems to have missed the opportunity to make LTTE and Lankans agree on a common agenda. Despite, we refused to even mediate in it. Well there is another aspect of it. No one in the foreign affairs is concerned with Sri Lanka. They issue some statements on the behest of some virtual pressure from their allies in south. There is almost no influence of India on Sri Lanka. The current War has left thousands of Tamils dead in the north of Island nation. UN and India both are shedding crocodile tears but vows for no mediation. So what’s the impact of all this? Lets understand very clearly that a truce of India supported LTTE and Singhalese army would have resulted in a mixed government and a just polity in Sri Lanka. Since we have called the shots, the same people theory would have open tons of future alignments of India with Lanka. A close neighbor and natural ally mean one less headache. From the point of view of economics the island nation could be helped to become a port hub for all Southeast Asian countries and India would have been equally benefited. The regional collaboration could have resulted in joint army’s and open borders meaning less expenditure on ocean waters. Free fisherman boundaries, which could have been, boost for the poor fisherman community of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. But we lost it for now. LTTE losing means that army will be overconfident about its might. Tamils will be repressed and even can lead to an ethnic cleansing. The lost voice of Tamil is not in India’s favor. So this results in non-harmonious Lanka. Now to win over support the over confident Lanka may voice anti India slogans to gain money and sympathy from the enemies. Pakistan and China had been luring Lanka from decades to become its ally. So if that happens we will have another Kashmir or northeast in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.


Lets now focus on Nepal. The Hindu nation became communist!! Sorry Democratic. The terror outfit of Nepal ousted the King with a civil coup. The result was elections. No Indian help reached Katmandu. The sleeping weak Indian government and a dormant policy overlooked the happenings. The election resulted in the winning of Maoist party (the then terror outfit). It was said that the elections were free and fair but we all know that a democratic people of Nepal would have not voted they way it looked. Prachanda, well known for his hate towards India, becomes the prime minister. The new constitution was constituted and everyone vowed to be democratic. The shock to Delhi came when Prachanda visited china after swearing in to the highest post. It clearly showed the drifting of Nepal from India. Then he proposed greater collaboration of China in Nepal by joining the countries with a rail tunnel across Himalayas. Furthermore, he questioned the Indian treaties with Nepal and sack them citing that they are old and biased. Delhi was mum and the government was busy with nuclear deal. The end of the tether reached when Prachanda sacked the pujaris of Pashupatinath. This time Nepal was not quiet. This action was opposed by every quarter in Nepal and as a result he had to succumb to withdrawal. Though it was not his defeat but an experiment to understand the pulse of the citizens. He questioned the open borders with India terming it as security concern. If you see he is trying to sabotage the basic pillars of Indo-Nepal relations. What did we do? There was absolutely no pressure from India to Nepal about either China or any of those issues. Moreover we were showing interest in revocation of treaties and their revivals. We all know that Prachanda is just justifying his actions. The treaties can be looked into and amended amicably but there was no reason why was this made so loud.


So here we are, losing all of them who were part and parcel of our culture and who supported us during good and bad times. The reasons will be cited by history and all of us will stand as a culprit to this irresponsibility. We will have to bite the bullet of present inaction.