Opinion - Editorials   

India’s best friend

Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Bhutan — the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 15 years — has reaffirmed the warmth that marks the bilateral relationship. Dr. Singh’s reference to Bhutan as India’s closest and most friendly neighbour was no rhetorical flourish. There are no disputes or outstanding issues with Thimphu of the kind that affects New Delhi’s relations with Dhaka, Kathmandu, and Islamabad. But it is not just the absence of disputes that makes the Bhutan-India relationship special. It is the mutual empathy and respect the two countries have developed over the half-century since Jawaharlal Nehru made an arduous overland journey to the ‘Hidden Kingdom.’ Dr. Singh’s journey in the Golden Jubilee year of that historic visit was to a transformed country. Bhutan has completed the transition from an absolute to a constitutional and well-liked monarchy, which coexists with a newly elected parliament and an accountable government. Unlike in Nepal, where the dilution of the monarch’s prerogatives was fiercely and foolishly resisted by King Gyanendra, the democratic revolution in Bhutan was inspired and shaped by the fourth Druk Gyalpo, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, who judged to perfection what was best for the people.

Cynics may deride the Bhutan-India relationship as a partnership of unequals, in which the big country showers the little one with gifts in exchange for political and strategic concessions. India has been generous in its aid — in the next five years, Indian assistance for Bhutan’s five-year plan and large infrastructure projects will aggregate Rs.10,000 crore — but the notion of an unequal relationship could not be more inapt. As the Himalayan kingdom has moved to capitalise on its prime geographical asset — fast running water — electricity exports to India have emerged as a major source of income. Even before the 1020 MW Tala project was commissioned last year, power sales to India accounted for 12 per cent of the country’s GDP and more than 40 per cent of national revenues. Helped by its megapower projects, Bhutan has been registering double-digit growth over the past few years. It is significant that last week’s decision to double projected hydropower sales to India to 10,000 MW by 2020 was largely taken at the instance of the Bhutanese side. With its concept of ‘Gross National Happiness,’ the Bhutan government has demonstrated a commitment not just to economic growth but also to the preservation of the country’s environment and unique culture. As the number of megaprojects grows, there will be negative ecological consequences. The binding constraint must be the country’s carrying capacity, not the thirst for energy of its southern neighbour.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

India’s best friend
Fine-tuning loan waiver
Will it be the UPA’s last supper? statecraft
The South African xenophobia
Thousands seek sanctuary
Cherie Blair and her tell-all memoirs
Free trade has escaped a U.S. onslaught
Rebuilding lives, brick by brick
Corrections and clarifications
Mayawati as CM
Loan waivers
Countering terror
On SSCP
Thank you

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu