India’s Soft Power Strategy Towards Bangladesh: The Land Boundary Agreement and Its Aftermath

Abstract

With the advent of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government to power, there has been a noticeable shift in India’s approach towards its neighbors. India now accords prime importance to its neighbors, succinctly encapsulated in its ‘Neighbourhood First’ Policy. The year 2015, in particular, was a watershed moment in the history of India–Bangladesh relations. The visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh in June 2015 was a significant and positive milestone in this trajectory. This is exemplified by the signing of the 2015 Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), followed by the culmination of twenty-two bilateral Agreements on a plethora of issues including trade, investment, economic aid, power, cultural relations, border management, and people-to-people contacts. In this context, the article contends that the recent developments in India-Bangladesh relations, beginning with the conclusion of the LBA, by and large, exemplify the ethos of soft power. In fact, the employability of soft power is evident in various historical epochs in India’s engagement with Bangladesh. In light of this context, the current study examines India’s projections of soft power and employment of attendant tools in the case of its relations with Bangladesh, especially after 2015.