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Bhutan's former PM Thsering Tobgay, delivering a special address on the eve of India's 75th Independence Anniversary noted that the country’s northern neigbhour China is mindful of Bhutan's ties with India and Bhutan's geographical proximity to India but suggested that both China and India must ensure that neither of them of become a card in domestic politics in South Asian states.

Tobgay further felt that organisations like SAARC and BIMSTEC could have played a bigger role in region’s affairs and rued that if SAARC was effective it could have addressed economic crisis that some countries in South Asia are facing. The former Bhutanese PM noted that the BIMSTEC could have played a much bigger role for the region than it is currently playing.

“China is mindful of Bhutan’s ties with India and Bhutan’s geographical proximity to India. All our valleys and rivers flow into India. Some countries in the region play China card to achieve political gains from India. Both India and China should ensure that neither of them become a matter of interference in domestic politics in the South Asian states,” Tobgay said while responding a query on Bhutan’s policies towards India and China.

He was delivering a special address in the ‘India and the World’ (A lecture series bringing together distinguished speakers who have a long and deep engagement with India) series organised by leading think tank Centre for Policy Studies. The session was moderated by former Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran.

Tobgay described India-Bhutan ties as role model for other countries in the region to follow as the two countries have excellent bilateral ties notwithstanding size of each other. “We have Bharat to Bhutan or Bhutan to Bharat model as described my good friend and PM of India Narendra Modi. He chose Bhutan as the first destination of his visit abroad after he was elected for the first time in 2014. India has been our development partner over the decades and played the leading role in getting Bhutan entry into the UN…leaders of some countries in the region should refrain from playing politics.”

Calling upon India to play a bigger role in geopolitics, Tobgay described Modi as global statesman and noted India's model of wisdom and balanced approach is the answer amid tensions. “India was the world’s top economy before Britishers colonised India. In the last 75 years India has come a way and achieved success in every sphere and in the next 25 years India will achieve further heights under the guidance of PM Modi. He is destiny’s man.”

Tobgay devoted considerable time praising Indian diaspora across the world. “Indian diaspora is present in every country and it is successful diaspora. This is what I call Indian exceptionalism. They have excelled in every field in various countries.”

Tobgay served as the leader of the opposition party in the National Assembly of Bhutan from 2008 to 2013, and as prime minister from 2013 to 2018. As an advocate of Gross National Happiness, he has spoken about conservation, climate change, poverty, democracy and happiness. In this context he noted that India is playing a tremendous role in fighting climate change through International Solar Alliance and other initiatives. “I hope India and other Himalayan states create Third Pole to safeguard Himalayas where glaciers are melting at an alarming speed.”