India reiterates its “Neighbourhood First” policy during PM Modi’s inauguration.

The fact that leaders from the Indian Ocean region and the surrounding area, such as President Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, were present at the start of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term underscores the significance New Delhi places on these nations.

In addition, Prime Ministers Tshering Tobgay of Bhutan, Pushpa Kamal Dahal of Nepal, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth of Mauritius, Ahmed Afif of Seychelles, and Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives attended the swearing-in ceremony. The Maldives President’s invitation to attend the ceremony surprised diplomatic circles, given the tense relations between Male and New Delhi at the moment.

Modi underlined India’s commitment to its “Neighbourhood First” policy and “SAGAR” vision, or Security and Growth for All in the Region, to the visiting leaders at Rashtrapati Bhavan after the ceremony. As he pursues his objective of creating Viksit Bharat by 2047, Modi declared that India will keep working for “peace, progress, and prosperity of the region in close partnership with the countries” during his third term in office.

Within this framework, Modi demanded increased connectedness and interpersonal relationships throughout the region. According to him, India would keep raising the Global South’s profile internationally.

The leaders of the eight member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) were invited to Modi’s swearing-in in 2014, while the leaders of the members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) as well as Mauritius and Kyrgyzstan were the guests at his inauguration in 2019.

Even though Bangladesh was invited to all three swearing-in ceremonies, this is the first time Hasina is speaking on behalf of her nation; in 2014, the speaker of the parliament spoke on behalf of Dhaka while she was on a prearranged visit to Japan, and in 2019, former president Abdul Hamid was present as part of a three-nation tour.

Under India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy, Bangladesh holds a particular position and has profited greatly from billions of dollars that New Delhi has given as grants or soft loans to improve road, rail, canal, and energy connectivity. Bangladesh is still India’s top trading partner in South Asia, despite moving down from fifth to tenth place on the list of the nation’s top export destinations.

In order to resolve security concerns pertaining to the strategically important northeastern states, Hasina’s administration has worked closely with India. This has included Japan aligning its development cooperation in Bangladesh with India’s connectivity ambitions.

After winning support for his “India Out” campaign and implementing a number of measures to bring the Maldives closer to China in domains ranging from trade to defence, Muizzu is making his first trip to New Delhi since assuming office in November of last year. Muizzu sought the departure of Indian military soldiers stationed in the Maldives, where they were operating three planes intended for humanitarian missions, just hours after taking an oath of office. Last month, India finished the process of substituting civilian experts for the military personnel.

Although Muizzu accepted India’s invitation to the swearing-in ceremony, he stated that bilateral relationships are “heading in the positive direction, as would be demonstrated by this visit” and that he looked forward to working with Modi to deepen relations with India. In a statement announcing Muizzu’s arrival in New Delhi, spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry Randhir Jaiswal stated on X that “India and Maldives are maritime partners and close neighbours.”

During its economic crisis in 2022, Sri Lanka received nearly $4 billion in aid from India, which included currency support, deferred loan payments, and credit lines for the purchase of food, fuel, and medications. Currently, the two countries are collaborating on a number of initiatives to improve financial, energy, and physical connectivity.

Nepal and Bhutan are also significant allies of India, particularly in light of China’s initiatives to bolster its clout in the area. India’s response to China’s efforts to carry out projects under its Belt and Road Initiative has been to increase energy and physical connectivity with Nepal. Since taking office in January, Tobgay has played a pivotal role in impeding China’s attempts to expedite the demarcation of disputed border sections with Bhutan. This development could have far-reaching implications for the security of the so-called “chicken’s neck,” or narrow swath of territory that connects the northeastern states to the rest of India.

According to the ministry of external affairs, these leaders’ presence to witness the swearing-in is consistent with the greatest priority given to the “SAGAR” vision and the “Neighbourhood First” policy. On Sunday, Modi is anticipated to have separate bilateral discussions with the leaders.

After visiting with senior BJP leader LK Advani at his home on Sunday, Hasina had a bilateral meeting with her colleague from Bhutan.

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