Relations with India dominate Bhutan's national elections

Thimpu: Bhutan’s relations with India and how to improve them have dominated the campaigning for the country’s second national elections with the two major political parties contesting the polls asserting unequivocally that bilateral ties cannot be impacted by minor hiccups. During their four week-long campaigning, the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT), which ruled Bhutan for five years since the Himalayan nation turned into a democracy in 2008, and opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have tried to impress upon people that concerns like India’s withdrawal of subsidy to kerosene and cooking gas would be resolved once they form the government. However, both the parties admitted that it is a closely contested fight and who would form Bhutan’s second democratically elected government after tomorrow’s polling is anyone’s guess. [caption id=“attachment_951609” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representative image. AFP.[/caption] DPT strategist Rigden Tenzin said Indo-Bhutan relations are so strong that it can always withstand minor hiccups and bound to improve further because of historical, cultural, and economic reasons and no one should have any doubt in his or her mind about it. “It is the opposition PDP which has confused the people by talking about the issue of subsidy to kerosene and cooking gas. If we form the government, the issue will be taken up with New Delhi and resolved amicably,” Tenzin, a Delhi School of Economics alumni, told PTI. He said India’s decision came when the interim government was in place and his party DPT cannot be blamed for it and the party was telling people this fact. India has cut off the gas subsidy to Bhutan since a pact with the country had expired on June 30. India yesterday assured Bhutan that it will not make it “suffer” and will proceed on the issue of gas and kerosene subsidy in “full consultation” with the new government there. However, New Delhi maintained that “careful accounting” was required to ensure proper usage of the subsidy. Opposition PDP general secretary Sonam Jatsho expressed confidence that his party has a high chance of forming the next government in Thimphu as people showed their support to the party because of certain policies of outgoing Prime Minister and DPT leader Jigmi Y Thinley. PTI