Tamil Nadu politics no longer determines New Delhi’s ties with Colombo and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has highlighted the common Buddhist linkage to woo the majority Sinhalese,
Rebuffed time and again by its neighbours for a seemingly hostile neighbourhood policy, India has lately overhauled its Sri Lanka policy, one of its most important neighbours, as part of its rechristened ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.
At the core of this policy change lies New Delhi’s exhausted patience with the ethnic Tamils of the North-East Sri Lanka. Over the years the External Affairs Ministry has lived through a kind of racial and religious obligation to rush to the rescue of north-eastern Tamils at times of crisis. But this obligation, in essence, did not derive from an exclusively humanitarian concern. On the contrary, the standard Indian policy towards the island-nation was dictated by an out-and-out political consideration of keeping public opinion in Tamil Nadu solidly in favour of New Delhi. This could be achieved only by siding with whatever ethnic Tamils demanded from Colombo. The driving force behind this policy formulation was a solidly unified political opinion in the southern state led and dictated by the two Dravida parties, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All-India DMK, and faithfully followed by sidetracked parties like the Indian National Congress. Exploiting its clout of a regional power,
New Delhi often succeeded in making Colombo succumb to ethnic Tamils’ demands. But each time this happened, Colombo’s resentment against India only intensified.
India has struggled to wriggle out of this uncomfortable trap thrice: first, after the fiasco over the Indian Peace Keeping Force; second, in the aftermath of the May 21, 1991 assassination of its former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi (helped considerably by the entire Tamil Nadu public turning against Sri Lankan Tamil militants); and, thirdly, after the National Democratic Alliance government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party was formed (May, 2014).
This story is from the May 2018 edition of Geopolitics.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 2018 edition of Geopolitics.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
India's space economy set to soar
India's burgeoning space economy could see a substantial increase in its global share by 2040. At present, India's space sector contributes a modest $8 billion to the overall cake. However, the government has set its sights on an ambitious target, aiming for a five-fold surge in India's share of the global space economy.
CRITICAL NEED TO BOOST CONVENTIONAL SUBMARINE FLEET
VENUGOPAL MENON explains why India cannot afford to view the critical deficiency in Submarine force levels lightly
BEEFING UP OUR SUBMARINE FLEET
In the last week of March, the Indian Navy displayed its submarine prowess. Eight of its submarines operated together in the Western Indian Ocean Region, a first in three decades, and one of its Scorpene submarines sailed to the Andaman Nicobar Islands, overlooking the Malacca Strait, a critical choke point for China. But how is the comparison with China? RITU SHARMA reports
ENHANCING CRUISE MISSILE CAPABILITY
India’s cruise missile capability has largely evolved as a credible conventional level deterrence since the turn of the new millennium. But much more needs to be done, writes AMARTYA SINHA
BOOSTING DEFENCE EXPORTS
Earlier, India was known to be an arms importer. But today, the country has come out of its comfort zone and found a place in the list of top-25 arms exporter nations argues AMARTYA SINHA
ENHANCING INDIA'S AIRBORNE SURVEILLANCE CAPABILITIES
Project NETRA represents a proactive initiative by ISRO to safeguard India's interests in space by mitigating the risks posed by space debris and other hazards, says GIRISH LINGANNA
THE HIMALAYAN TRIANGLE: WHY INDIA KEEPS BHUTAN SAFE FROM CHINA
India, given its special relationship with Bhutan, has been very wary about the possibility of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the signing of a boundary agreement between Bhutan and China, writes SIMRAN SODHI
TROOST, DESAI AND SANCTIONS
The Western sanctions against companies and individuals doing business with Russia have produced a complex set of reactions with lobbyists and shell companies working overtime to beat the rap. A GEOPOLITICS Bureau report
THE KOREA-GATE
India attaches great importance to “three principles of inclusiveness, trust and reciprocity’” for creating the basis for working more closely with like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific such as the Republic of Korea (ROK), better known as South Korea for “a free, peaceful and prosperous region”. Prakash Nanda dissects the relationship and the way ahead
Pushpak RLV-TD successfully lands autonomously
ISRO achieved another significant milestone in reusable launch vehicle (RLV) technology with the successful landing of Pushpak (RLV-TD), the winged vehicle, autonomously on the runway.
