DNA Edit: Bhutan first – India needs its tiny neighbour more than ever before

In Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Neighbourhood First policy, Bhutan occupies a special place. The country’s immense strategic importance for New Delhi is undeniable as it shares borders with both India and China. More importantly, Bhutan is one of India’s most trusted friends in the region and the association goes back a long way. But times are changing. The overweening influence of China on its eastern borders is something that India cannot be unconcerned about. Therefore Modi’s second official visit to Bhutan — during which he had an audience with King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk and a meeting with Prime Minister Lotay Tshering — was much more than a standard “bilateral”. 

The Indian PM’s “to-do” list suggests he is keen to woo the Bhutanese youth. Unlike the earlier generation of Bhutanese, for whom India was the sole option, today’s youth goes to South Korea, Thailand, Japan and Europe. The telecom revolution and Bhutan’s economic prosperity have changed a lot of things. So, PM Modi’s trip to Bhutan was as much about inking 10 MoUs as it was about telling the India story to the youth. Although Thimphu has always addressed India’s concerns and rebuffed China’s overtures for diplomatic and economic ties, there are young voices in Bhutan that want it to engage with China as well. The Big Dragon’s status as a superpower and Beijing’s propensity to pressure Bhutan to open diplomatic ties is something that has weighed on India’s mind. With Doklam as the background, Modi’s wooing of Bhutan is understandable and completely justified.