Bangladesh crisis: India should junk victimhood and excessive religiosity

Bangladesh is just the latest example of disquiet in India's neighbourhood. We need to show renewed respect to our neighbours

The dramatic events in Bangladesh bring the focus back to India’s neighbourhood, and the Modi government’s record in dealing with it. To take a deeper look at what’s immediate, we need to begin a quarter-century ago, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee made his big move with Pakistan by taking the bus ride to Lahore. You can choose your friends, he said, but you can’t choose your neighbours. It followed that improving ties with them was imperative.

In 2008, Manmohan Singh took it a step forward with his call of  “neigbourhood first.” In 2014, Narendra Modi also put his