What is the issue?

• The last date for filing claims and objections for Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) has been extended by the Supreme Court by 15 days from December 15, 2018.
• The outcome of the NRC exercise has implications for India’s ties with Bangladesh.

Why is Bangladesh significant for India?

• According to the latest available Bangladesh government estimates of 2009, more than 500,000 Indians were working in Bangladesh.
• More recently, Bangladesh was reported to be among the highest source of remittances to India, behind the UAE, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the U.K.
• Many Indian citizens are securing employment opportunities in Bangladesh through MNCs, NGOs and trading activities.
• Most of them are employed in advantageous jobs in Bangladesh while Bangladeshis in India are largely employed in low-paying jobs.
• More importantly, it is to be noted that there are legal as well as illegal Indian immigrants in Bangladesh too.

What is the tussle?

• The government maintains that the NRC is an administrative task overseen by the Supreme Court, and not a political one.
• However, some members of the ruling party have been making hateful anti-migration and anti-Bangladeshi comments.
• This reflects poorly on the prevalent positive relationship between Bangladesh and India.
• Also, Indian PM has assured the Bangladesh government that those excluded from the NRC will not be deported.
• But Bangladesh has so far been silent on the issue, terming it as an ‘internal matter of India’.
• Notably, Bangladesh is already at the extremes in terms of use of resources and manpower to host Rohingya refugees.
• So it would not be acceding to a request of taking back Bengali-speaking Muslims in case deportation is initiated.

How is India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy performing?

• The ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy of the Government of India seems to be undergoing a transformation in the recent period.
• Nepal - Nepal, once a time-tested ally of India, has tilted towards China.
• This is particularly since the 2015 Nepal blockade barring the entry of fuel, medicine and other vital supplies.
• Nepal now has been given access to four Chinese ports at Tianjin, Shenzhen, Lianyungang and Zhanjiang.
• This is in addition to access to its dry (land) ports at Lanzhou, Lhasa and Xigatse, as well as roads to these facilities.
• These seem to be ending India’s monopoly to Nepal's trading routes.
• Bhutan - The India-Bhutan relationship has also been strained.
• This is witnessed ever since India temporarily withdrew subsidies on cooking gas and kerosene in 2013, constraining bilateral ties.
• The Doklam stand-off of 2017 reinforced Bhutan’s scepticism towards Chinese expansionist plans across the region.
• Simultaneously, this landlocked kingdom has been underlining its aspiration to affirm its sovereignty.
• E.g. it has stepped out of India’s diplomatic influence, as evidenced by its withdrawal from BBIN (Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal) motor vehicles agreement
• Bangladesh - With China making inroads into South Asia and India’s backyard, Bangladesh has been the most trusted ally of India.
• On the security front, it has cooperated in India’s crackdown on insurgents.
• With close cooperation with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), a number of training places and hideouts of these insurgents (in Bangladesh) has been reduced to almost zero.
• Annual bilateral trade is set to cross the $9 billion mark, making it India’s biggest trading partner in South Asia.
• In addition, Bangladesh has facilitated connectivity with the Northeast by allowing the use of Chittagong and Mongla ports.
• However, the following issues remain unresolved, being irritants in the relationship -
  • the Teesta water-sharing issue
  • non-tariff barriers on Bangladeshi exports
  • border killings
• Others - The India-China power play has also cast its shadow over Sri Lanka and the Maldives in the last few years.

What do these imply?

• The NRC compilation exercise has sparked a debate around its political, economic and humanitarian consequences.
• The issue threatens to disturb the equilibrium in India-Bangladesh ties.
• Any deportation of those not in the NRC list is not only politically unwise but also risk inciting unrest across the region.