Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Neighbourhood First Slogan Has Failed In Last Five Years - Arabian Post

(MENAFN- The Arabian Post) By Nitya Chakraborty

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been talking of Neighbourhood First programme since he took over power in 2014. In these eleven years of his rule, India has got isolated from most of the countries who are its neighbours and belong to the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The latest developments in Nepal and Bangladesh have shown how India, the biggest country of the SAARC bloc is finding itself marginalized in the evolving politics of its neighbours.

Nepal has finally got an interim government after two days of Generation Z uprising on September 9 and 10. Sushila Karki, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal has been named as the interim Prime Minister to run the government for the next six months till the fresh general elections in March 2026 parliament is being dissolved. It is still not clear what will be the status of the present political parties, but one thing is clear-the Gen Z representatives are in sync with the army chief in suggesting the next phase of the government functioning led by the new prime minister.

For India, this is the time to monitor and watch the developments. In Nepal, the anti-India sentiment was at a low key during the uprising. The focus was more on the ruling K P S Oli regime and the Maoists of different hues who are close to China. But there was no pro-India sentiment also though India has helped Nepal in so many ways during the last two decades. The political situation will be clearer once it is known whether the student leaders will be forming a separate political party just the Bangladeshi anti-quota demonstrators set up their own party National Citizens Party (NCP) to contest the next general elections in February 2026. This NCP is very much anti-India. It will be observed with interest what type of programme is adopted by the Gen Z student agitators. And what will be their attitude towards India.

SAARC consists of seven countries of South Asia-India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives. Out of these countries, India is having normal relations with only Maldives and Sri Lanka. The relations with Maldives deteriorated in earlier years, but it improved substantially in the recent period. Prime Minister Modi's visit to Maldives in July this year and the conclusion of six agreements have improved vastly the bilateral relations. The relations with Bangladesh and Pakistan are at the lowest ebb. While there are reasons for deterioration of relations with Pakistan, as regards Bangladesh, Narendra Modi is doing wrong by rebuffing all overtures made by the Bangladesh interim head Dr. Muhammad Yunus to have a bilateral meeting with him to discuss in details the relationship between the two countries.

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As regards Afghanistan, the Taliban government has made some gestures to the Indian government. Contacts have been initiated at last at foreign ministry level though there are sanctions on the Afghan government by the United Nations due to its orthodox measures relating to women. Relations with Bhutan are so so. Bhutan is important to India from the security point. The country acts as a buffer between India and China with common borders.. In the recent years, Bhutan is showing some tilt towards China which is not to the liking of the Indian govt. But the bilateral relations are under control.

India as the leading nation of the SAARC group has a responsibility to lead this group in its own interest as also in the interests of the region as a whole. But in 2016, India boycotted the SAARC summit in Pakistan and since then, India has been taking no interest resulting in the non-functioning of SAARC and no holding of its annual summits since then. In politics or diplomacy, a space vacated by someone always gives opportunities to others.

China, though not a member of SAARC, has taken the initiative to revive SAARC by talking to Pakistan and Bangladesh. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif discussed the SAARC revival issue with the former Nepal prime minister and Sri Lankan President during his UN general assembly visit last year. This year also Pakistan PM may take forward discussions on SAARC with other member countries at the coming UN general assembly session later this month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not attending the UN meet. So Sharif will have no problem in continuing with his persuasion without any challenge from India..

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SAARC comprises 3% of the world's land area, 21% of the world's population and 5.21% (USD 4.47 trillion) of the global economy, as of 2021's agenda includes the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) established in 2004 and effective from 2006 has hosted three SAARC summits out of 18 SAARC summits held so far, all during the Congress led rule at the centre in 1986, 1995 and 2007 as the technologically most dynamic nation in SAARC extended its National Knowledge Network (NKN) to countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan fostering educational and technological exchange.

Additionally, India launched the South Asian Satellite (SAS) in 2017, providing satellite-based services to SAARC countries. In 2019, India approved the incorporation of a 'Standby Swap' in the Currency Swap Arrangement for SAARC members, amounting to USD 400 million, aimed at enhancing financial cooperation.

As the largest economy, in SAARC's India constitutes over 70% of the area and population among the SAARC nations and is strategically connected to almost all the member nations. Initiatives like the SAARC satellite and support for infrastructure development underscore India's commitment. India commanded respect from the other SAARC members in the pre-Narendra Modi periods. That respect has to be restored again if the present Modi government wants to play a meaningful role in South Asian politics. Otherwise, China which has borders with a number of SAARC countries will claim its membership of SAARC and with the help of its friendly countries, take over the leadership of revamped SAARC. India can afford to see that only at its peril. (IPA Service )

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