After Bhutan PM's Statement Its Time India Lets Go of Bhutan or Assimilates It

Bhutan PM Tsering has made a statement in Germany as per which China has equal rights to decide on the future of the Doklam Plateau tri-junction of India, Bhutan, and China-occupied Tibet. This is a statement that has sent shockwaves across the power corridors of New Delhi. It is being said Bhutan has decided to give up its claim on the Doklam plateau, in return for China giving up its claim on another area up in the north of the country. 6 years after Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed in Doklam, the Bhutanese PM saying Beijing has an 'equal say in finding a resolution to the dispute marks a significant shift in Bhutan's stand in an ongoing dispute. India believes the high-altitude plateau has been illegally occupied by China. This few months after officials of Bhutan and China met in Kunming, China, to discuss a 'three-step roadmap' to settle border disputes.

After this, it's time for India to decide on permanently letting go of Bhutan or assimilating it into itself. Why, simply bcoz it’s futile to keep a country as its protectorate. No independent nation worth it's salt can digest the fact that its policies are dictated by a nation that acts like a big brother. India made the mistake in Nepal. Pt. Nehru refused King Tribhuvan‘s offer of a merger with India (a good decision) but he made the mistake of controlling its foreign, financial, and security policy from 1947 to 1997 under the Friendship Treaty.

This Friendship Treaty was the main grudge used by Maoist to uproot the royalty and democratic government. Needless to say, this resentment was also successfully fanned by China's greedy stratagem to entrap Nepal into its debt trap. Now Nepal sings only Chinese tunes, evident from the fact that it is now squeezing Tibetan refugees and even dares to prick India bcoz it knows now India can't do anything.

Nepal due to its geography has the option to play the China card but Bhutan which is at the crossroad vis a vis India doesn’t have the luxury to do so and is being forced to depend on India as its protectorate.

Let's not forget what happened in Doklam, and the way India mishandled the situation leading to China completing the takeover of North Doklam has Bhutan worried about India. This coupled with a lot of resentment in the youth of Bhutan, where more and more unemployed youth are trying to get jobs and lead good lives is leading to a precarious situation.

Bhutan doesn’t have the geographical advantage of Nepal to connect to China. So China is using radio waves and little nick-nack supplied via Bangladesh to turn it in its favor. Needless to say that China has been trying hard to connect with Bhutan, and the brewing resentment has allowed China a big chance that it will never want to let go. China is desperate to bring Bhutan under its fold. Lets us not forget Bhutan is the only country in the world that doesn’t recognize China or have diplomatic relations. Something China can't digest.

This brewing resentment has culminated in the stunning loss of the sitting government considered close to the royal family at the hands of opposition that played on that resentment. This resentment may even result in the toppling of the royalty and if it happens then it will be a catastrophe for the small Himalayan nation.

High time India does a Sikkim in Bhutan and assimilates it into India or lets Bhutan go and allows it to choose its relation at its will. What is certain is that if Bhutan is set free China will make it into another Tibet for sure. So it is a difficult choice for India to make.