Bhutan Elections: A case of India's diplomatic bankruptcy!
photo : telegraphnepal.com |
-Anand Swaroop Verma-
The recently concluded second general election in Bhutan on July
13 has once again exposed the bankruptcy of India’s foreign policy. This
election saw the defeat of ruling incumbent Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) at the
hands of main opposition party Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), which secured
35 votes against 12 votes of DPT. It must be noted that in the National
Assembly’s primary election held on May 31, DPT got 33 votes as compared to 12
of PDP. The other two parties that took part in primary election namely Druk
Namdruk Tshogpa (DNT) and Druk Chirwang Tshogpa(DCT) got two and none
respectively. As per Bhutan’s constitution, the final election is held between
winner and runner-up of primary elections. It is very striking to note as to
what happened within just one and a half month from May 31 to July 13 that DPT
lost its electoral base and finally lost to PDP.
In fact, the Government of India had stopped subsidizing kerosene
and cooking gas for Bhutan in the first week of July. It is interesting to know
that this sanction did not originate from financial constraints or whatsoever
of the Indian Oil Corporation rather directed by the external affairs ministry
of GOI. Actually, Indian government was unhappy with DPT leader and Bhutanese
Prime Minister Jigme Y. Thinley because it held that Thinley was arbitrarily
running his foreign affairs. On the other hand, supporters of Thinley argued
that regardless of being neighbor to a big country and receiving economic
support from it, any sovereign nation does not lose its universal right to
decide its foreign affairs. It is to be reminded that although there was a
provision in the Indo-Bhutan Friendship Treaty of 1949 that Bhutan would run
its foreign policy on India’s advice, but the renewed treaty of 2007 had omitted
the clause after which Bhutan became independent to shape its foreign policy at
its own end. It is a different scenario altogether that still there are many
official and unofficial arrangements that ensure whoever is in power there will
have to abide by the interests of India while shaping Bhutan’s internal and
external policies. Prime Minister Thinley was obviously well aware of this so
he did nothing during his tenure that could possibly thwart India’s security
concerns.
Then what is the reason behind India’s resentment? The conundrum
is rooted in an international convention held last year in Brazil’s Rio de
Janeiro where Bhutan’s PM Thinley had an informal chat with the then
Chinese Premier. China is Bhutan’s immediate neighbor other than India despite this
was the first meeting between both heads of governments. India’s stance towards
Bhutan changed in this backdrop when external affairs officials started talking
off the record that Bhutan was now getting out of control. Since Bhutan’s all
ten five-year plans till date have been supported by India and many hydel
projects too are dependent on India’s aid (benefitting India only), so it was
indigestible for India to see Bhutan getting close with China. It was not just
the meeting of leaders but procurement of 15 Chinese buses by Bhutan in
particular that invited India’s ire.
The issue is not confined to relations with China alone. India
never wants Bhutan to foster relations with any country. Bhutan had diplomatic
relations with 22 countries until 2008 that flourished in Thinley’s regime and
number increased to 53. Bhutan has no diplomatic relation with China until date
but India is wary of the possibility in future as Bhutan-China border dispute
is largely sorted out now. Indian government is aware of Chinese plan to lay
rail line up to Chumbi Valley located at the interjection of India
(Sikkim)-Bhutan-China (Tibet) and the very day this project is completed;
Bhutan will become free from the obligation that arises due to its three-sided
land locked territory from India. This rail line project is inevitable as China
is pressing hard on it. India would have accepted this situation in advance and
framed its strategy accordingly but this is sheer bankruptcy of its diplomacy
that the country on which it has spent billions so far is now being pushed to a
politically amphibious state.
Apart from cutting subsidy on oil and gas to Bhutan, India has
also announced nonpayment of excise duty refund and scrapping subsidy on power
generated from Chukha hydel project. India has argued that due to economic
reasons it has scrapped subsidy in its various sectors too, but people of
Bhutan are not easily convinced with this logic. They know that amounts saved
by cutting subsidy in a country of more than a billion and Bhutan, that has a
mere 6-7 lac population, are not
comparable. This is insignificant for India. Bhutanese people have perceived
this as an arm twisting tactics of Indian establishment and India through its
move just on the eve of elections has reached out with the message that they
will have to face more sanctions if they vote back Thinley’s party DPT to
power. In response to resenting Bhutanese people, external affairs ministry of
India had assured that the issue would be resolved through bilateral talks with
the new government. This was a clear indication of regime change in Bhutan and
its citizens did no mistake to read this in true context.
The reaction to India’s move in Bhutan cannot be termed as healthy
and positive in the bilateral relations. Indian establishment will have to pay
a price for this eventually. Wangcha Sangye, a popular blogger of Bhutan wrote
in his blog:
“National interests of Bhutan have to rise over and above the
politics of always playing the Indian tune. We are not just good neighbors of
India. We are a good and reliable friend of India. But Bhutan and Bhutanese are
sovereignty unto our self. Therefore Bhutan’s paramount national interests and
affairs just cannot be only pleasing India. We have to please ourselves too!”
He made scathing comments in the same blog further, “Why do Indian
media and politicians want to castrate Bhutan for the most harmless
relationship effort with China? Just the other day, I heard a rumour of a
bureaucrat of India chastising Bhutanese leadership of being “dishonest”. What
the hell is that suppose to mean? Which national leaders and governments bare
its soul to another nation? We are not paid sex workers that benefactors need
to know when our eyelashes and asses move and in which direction”.
Wangcha Sangye has expressed the sentiments of Bhutanese people
through his blog. After the elections I talked to one of my acquaintances in Phuentsholing
(Bhutan) who is a supporter of DPT.
He told me that he too had voted in favor of PDP on July 13 because he was
assured that if DPT returns to power, India will not roll back subsidy cuts. He
said that there was a further indication that India may stop aiding five-year
plans too.
It must be recalled that more than one lakh Bhutanese people were
ousted from the southern part of this country in 1990-91 when they had demanded
democracy. India was hand in gloves with Bhutanese king in this act. It has
took some time for Bhutanese citizens and left out Lhotsampas (Bhutanese people
of Nepalese origin) in southern part to
heal their wounds when they are again exposed to the tragic subsidy cut and
anti-Thinley politics of India. PDP’s victory has although instilled a sense of
satisfaction in India’s establishment and an interim assurance to the Bhutanese
people that they will not be pauperized any more, but its consequences will
prove to be unpleasant in the long run. India’s foreign policy makers will have
to rethink over its mentality towards neighbors and realize the need to rectify
it at the outset.
15 July 2013
The author is a New Delhi based senior journalist and editor of
Hindi journal 'Samkaleen Teesari Duniya'.
म श्री एडम्स केविन, Aiico बीमा ऋण ऋण कम्पनी को एक प्रतिनिधि हुँ तपाईं व्यापार लागि व्यक्तिगत ऋण आवश्यक छ? तुरुन्तै आफ्नो ऋण स्थानान्तरण दस्तावेज संग अगाडी बढन adams.credi@gmail.com: हामी तपाईं इच्छुक हुनुहुन्छ भने यो इमेल मा हामीलाई सम्पर्क, 3% ब्याज दर मा ऋण दिन
ReplyDelete