Colombo correction

The problem of reconciling the tension between the national and the regional on foreign policy-making is not going to disappear after the elections.

C. Raja Mohan | Twitter@@MohanCRaja | April ! "# $ UPA finally breaks its habit of putting party interest over national interest. The %&A go'ernment(s decision to abstain on a resol)tion against *ri +anka at the %, -)man Rights Co)ncil in .ene'a last week was indeed )ne/pected. 0n the last two years! 0ndia had backed the 1est-sponsored resol)tions on *ri +anka(s h)man rights 'iolations d)ring Colombo(s 'ictorio)s war against the +iberation Tigers of Tamil 2elam! which ended in "##3. 0f 0ndia(s earlier position was abo)t pandering to the Congress party(s allies in Chennai! its re'ersal this year has come amid the r)ling party(s political isolation in Tamil ,ad). 1ith apparently little to gain from f)rther appeasement! the %&A go'ernment has chosen to do the right thing. 0n a terrible irony! the more 4elhi bowed to the Tamil parties in Chennai! the less clo)t it had in promoting the rights of the Tamil minorities in *ri +anka. The abo)t t)rn in .ene'a on *ri +anka! then! is a belated b)t welcome correcti'e to one of the %&A(s worst foreign policy legacies 5 of p)tting the Congress party(s narrow political considerations abo'e the national interest. 0n its first term! the %&A! )nder press)re from the C&M! made hea'y weather of the historic ci'il n)clear initiati'e with the %nited *tates )n'eiled in "##6. 0nstead of

'igoro)sly defending the deal 5 which so)ght to end 0ndia(s prolonged global n)clear isolation 5 Congress president *onia .andhi p)lled the pl)g in "##7. 0t was &rime Minister Manmohan *ingh(s apparent threat to resign in mid-"##8 that allowed the clinching of the deal! with great political diffic)lty. The rel)ctance to p)rs)e what was in plain national interest became e'en more telling in the second term of the %&A. 0n "# #! Manmohan *ingh boldly decided to transform the bilateral relationship with 9angladesh by resol'ing all o)tstanding iss)es! incl)ding cross-border terrorism! market access! transit! ri'er water sharing and the cleaning )p of a messy bo)ndary inherited from the partition of the s)bcontinent. 1hen the big moment for signing the agreements came in *eptember "# ! d)ring Manmohan *ingh(s 'isit to 4haka! the prime minister held back on the Teesta waters agreement as 1est 9engal Chief Minister Mamata 9anerjee threw a tantr)m. Altho)gh the prime minister went ahead and signed the land bo)ndary agreement with 4haka! %&A " fo)nd it diffic)lt to mobilise political s)pport at home for its ratification in &arliament. The second term also saw the Congress party becoming more wobbly towards *ri +anka. Recall the prime ministers(s decision to skip the Commonwealth s)mmit in Colombo last year. The press)re came not j)st from the Tamil parties! b)t also from senior Congress leaders in the state! incl)ding :inance Minister &. Chidambaram. 1hile the &M saw the negati'e conse;)ences of sn)bbing Colombo! the Congress party leadership had the last word. The %&A(s policy fail)res on 9angladesh and *ri +anka ha'e generated m)ch bemoaning in 4elhi(s national sec)rity establishment abo)t the breakdown of the r)les of the rep)blic that made the cond)ct of foreign policy the sole responsibility of the Centre. A closer look! howe'er! re'eals that it is not the states that ha'e got stronger and are e/ercising a 'eto o'er foreign policy decisions. The real so)rce of tro)ble has been the lack of policy con'iction and political will in the %&A. This! in t)rn! stemmed from the Congress party(s temptation to take the path of least resistance when confronted with diffic)lt political challenges. 0f &rakash <arat did not like the n)clear initiati'e! *onia .andhi was ready to drop it. 0f Mamata 9anerjee does not like the agreements with 4haka! 4elhi is ready to p)t them on hold. 0f Chennai does not like the prime minister going to Colombo! then so be it. That 4elhi has to take into acco)nt the 'iews of the states! regions and comm)nities on foreign policy iss)es that affect them directly is a matter of political common sense. 0t is not a matter of constit)tional principle. 0n a large and di'erse democratic state like

0ndia! conflict between the national and the local is fre;)ent and ine'itable. Resol'ing these tensions is the job of the political leadership at the Centre. The %&A go'ernment has fallen woef)lly short! thanks to the deliberate weakening of the prime minister(s role in the management of national affairs d)ring the last # years. 1ith neither political primacy in the party nor f)ll administrati'e a)thority o'er his go'ernment! the prime minister did not! or co)ld not! defend what he tho)ght was in the national interest. 9)t the problem of reconciling the tension between the national and the regional in foreign policy-making is not going to disappear after the elections. The ne/t prime minister! most likely heading another coalition! will need considerable political skill in managing the disparate press)res on all national iss)es. 0n the few remarks on foreign policy that he has made d)ring the election season! the 9=&(s prime ministerial candidate! ,arendra Modi! has declared that he wo)ld promote a greater role for states in the making of 0ndia(s foreign policy. Modi(s words are 'ag)e at the moment! b)t they certainly open the door for a debate on the role of states in 0ndian diplomacy. 9)t in the end! it is all abo)t competence in political management and the effecti'e e/ercise of power by the national leadership. 0f Modi does become prime minister! he will indeed face press)res from the 9=&(s regional allies and sections of his own party on the policies towards *ri +anka and 9angladesh. 0f *onia .andhi and Manmohan *ingh ha'e set a negati'e e/ample that m)st be a'oided at all costs! the ne/t prime minister co)ld learn a thing or two from Atal 9ihari >ajpayee! who artf)lly dodged press)res from his regional coalition partners and resisted those from the ideolog)es in the 9=& and R** d)ring his si/-year ten)re as prime minister. The writer! a disting)ished fellow at the ?bser'er Research :o)ndation! 4elhi! is a contrib)ting editor for @The 0ndian 2/press( e/press@e/pressindia.com