Letter to BS: India's well-thought-out move can win over Maldives

India has failed miserably in maintaining good relations with all our neighbours except Bhutan

Your editorial “India’s Maldives moment” (September 26) is a delightful read. Your advice is beautifully articulated, balanced, robust and covers all aspects of the delicate equation between India and the strategically located island nation. Indeed, we need to move with extreme caution and without any show of triumphalism. For that matter, India’s approach, even when Mohamed Nasheed was overthrown, was measured and not a macho military overture as he expected. It is a different matter that sheer reckless spending by China alienated his successor Yameen from us and he tilted towards China.

We have failed miserably in maintaining good relations with all our neighbours except Bhutan. Our diplomatic approach to these nations has lacked sensitivity, imagination and far-sightedness. South Block mandarins have a great opportunity to redeem themselves.

China, without doubt, has money to throw around but the world has also seen the country's ulterior designs to ultimately crush the borrowers under heavy debts. There is enough room for India to take a subtle, measured and well thought out move to win over the leadership — more importantly, the people — of Maldives for a long standing and enduring relationship like what we enjoy with Bhutan.

Krishan Kalra  Gurugram

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