In a response to a question asked about whether India is perceived as a bully in the region, (Indian subcontinent and Indian Ocean Region) the External Affairs Minister of India, Subramaniam Jaishankar firmly stated that big bullies do not provide 4.5 million USD aid to their neighbours in the times of distress.
Speaking at a book launch event in New Delhi, the foreign minister of India emphasised the positive changes in India’s relations with neighbouring countries.
“The big change in this part of the world is what had happened between India and its neighbours. When you say that India is perceived as a big bully, you know, the big bullies never provide 4.5 million USD when neighbours are in trouble.
Big Bullies do not supply vaccines to other countries during the COVID Pandemic or make exception to their own rules to respond to food demands or fuel demands, or fertilizer demands because some war has complicated their lives,” EAM Jaishankar said.
He pointed out these actions demonstrate India’s commitment to supporting its neighbours during challenging times. The video of Jaishankar response to the question quickly spread across social media platforms, gaining widespread attention. He further elaborated on the progress made in enhancing connectivity between India and neighbouring countries.
“Today at the connectivity level, just the volume of people moving up and down, the volume of trade which is there, the investments which are there, it’s actually a very, very good story to tell. Not just with Nepal and Bangladesh, with Sri Lanka as well, I would say that even with Maldives,” the EAM stated.
In January 2024, when tensions were high between India and Maldives, president Mohamed Muizzu had said that though his nation was small, it does not give India the license to bully us. The statement made by Muizzu, who is considered pro-China, came amid a row between India and Maldives after Maldivian politicians made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep.
The comments sparked a Boycott Maldives trend online that has been backed by actors from Bollywood, cricketers and other prominent figures. In his strongly worded statement, Muizzu said that the Indian Ocean does not belong to a specific country.
“Though we have small islands in the ocean, we have a vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 9,00,000 square kilometres. Maldives is one of the countries with the biggest share of the ocean. This ocean does not belong to a specific country and the ocean also belongs to all other countries situated in it,” he said.
Muizzu also responded to comments that Maldives is in India’s backyard. “We aren’t in anyone’s backyard, we are an independent and sovereign state,” he said. Muizzu won the elections in October 2023, on the back of an India Out campaign in which he pledged the removal of Indian troops from the archipelago.
