Partition of India broke Northeast's natural connectivity, says S Jaishankar at Kirori Mal College

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said the partition of India in many ways broke the natural connectivity of the northeastern states and impacted the growth in the area due to political barriers as well as administrative issues.

Jaishankar was addressing an event in Delhi University's Kirori Mal College on the topic "Northeast India's Integration with South East Asia and Japan: Balancing Economic Ties and Ecological Conservation".

"The consequence of the partition of India broke, in many ways, the natural connectivity that the Northeast had or would have enjoyed. As a result of that, the levels of growth that the Northeast should have seen was slowed down. In the first few decades after the partition, the Northeast did not enjoy the advantages which other parts of the country did because of political barriers and administrative issues", Jaishankar said while speaking to students.

The Union minister also added that the current economic stability in the Northeast is moving towards a stronger front.

"What we are seeing now, honestly should have come much earlier if history had been kinder to us. As I always say, for India to look east, Delhi should first look east and see the Northeast. It is then the potential and the possibilities of the Northeast will be fully appreciated", he said.

In the case of Myanmar, Jaishankar said India is trying to make growth avenues while dealing with the 'challenges' there.

"Myanmar has been a great challenge, till there was a restoration of democracy we had one set of problems. In the last few years after the military has taken over there are other more serious problems. While we are mitigating its consequences on our own border, there is a larger stake that we have about connectivity through Myanmar," Jaishankar said.

"If all of this works and the Northeast gets connectivity to Eastwards through Myanmar, southwards into Bangladesh, the entire eastern India including the seaboard of India will be developed more intensively which is the objective of the Modi government," he added.

Talking about Japan and India's relationship, Jaishankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017 asked to set up a special forum with Japan. He said it is the only forum of India dedicated to developing the northeast India and their links with other connecting countries.

As a result of these ties, he said, several bilateral developments have taken place including expansion of the Japanese language in many of the Indian institutions.

Jaishankar also talked about India's G20 submit positioning the country as a global leader and asserted how the country overcame world crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic while ensuring that its citizens are protected.

"We are a country which has a lot of potential unrealised, partly why we organised the G20 for a whole year. Modi's instruction was we don't want any state left out from getting the diplomatic attention. It should not be focused on just Delhi or three or four other metropolitan cities."