India is trying to be a "great power" in the 50s Soviet-era style.
Today's world is about soft power. India is woefully lacking there. It is beset by internal strife (the entire Northeast has been under some form of "martial law" (AFSPA) for 50 years). The central-western region has the Naxalite problem, which keeps on simmering and growing. And then there's Kashmir.
Aside from Bhutan, none of India's neighbors take it seriously. If India can't even project its power on its own borders, how will it do anything beyond?
The reality is: India's defence budget is basically a piggybank for political parties to fund the elections (and pad the bank accounts of senior politicians). The first thing a party does when it comes to power is sign some major defence deals (or "modify" deals in the pipeline, so they can get their cut also).
Today's world is about soft power. India is woefully lacking there. It is beset by internal strife (the entire Northeast has been under some form of "martial law" (AFSPA) for 50 years). The central-western region has the Naxalite problem, which keeps on simmering and growing. And then there's Kashmir.
Aside from Bhutan, none of India's neighbors take it seriously. If India can't even project its power on its own borders, how will it do anything beyond?
The reality is: India's defence budget is basically a piggybank for political parties to fund the elections (and pad the bank accounts of senior politicians). The first thing a party does when it comes to power is sign some major defence deals (or "modify" deals in the pipeline, so they can get their cut also).