India's neighbourhood-first policy is often tested by domestic political developments in neighbouring states. Discuss with reference to recent developments in Sri Lanka.

India's Neighbourhood First policy prioritises connectivity, development partnership and trust-building with immediate neighbours [1]. Yet its outcomes depend on domestic politics next door, where regime change, constitutional churn and majoritarian pressures can stall commitments India has invested in — as Sri Lanka's ongoing constitutional debate shows.

Recent developments in Sri Lanka

• President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's NPP government has reaffirmed intent to abolish the Executive Presidency (created by the 1978 Constitution) and draft a new Constitution, but only through "national consensus", since amendment needs a two-thirds parliamentary majority [5].
• Tamil, Tamil-speaking Muslim and Malaiyaha parties have consolidated into a Political Council for Tamil-Speaking People, demanding a new Constitution, early Provincial Council polls and resolution of land disputes [5].

How this tests Neighbourhood First

• India's core ask — full implementation of the 13th Amendment, flowing from the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, 1987 — remains incomplete: land and police powers are undevolved and provincial elections stand delayed [2][4].
• Sinhala-nationalist opposition to devolution and Tamil dissatisfaction with 13A's limits leave any Indian push open to charges of interference, constraining leverage [4].
• Delay carries a strategic cost: unresolved devolution weakens India's normative appeal even as China deepens its economic footprint, while India has extended Lines of Credit worth over US$2 billion and crisis-time assistance [1].
• Domestic Indian politics, especially Tamil Nadu's stake in the fishermen and devolution questions, adds a federal dimension to foreign policy.

India's calibrated response

• New Delhi has engaged the NPP government early — the External Affairs Minister was the first foreign dignitary to visit after Dissanayake assumed office — pairing advocacy of devolution with energy, digital and connectivity projects [1][3].

Sri Lanka demonstrates that neighbourhood policy succeeds not by extracting promises but by building stakes that survive changes of government. Sustained development partnership, quiet diplomacy on devolution and people-to-people ties offer the durable path — consistent with SAGAR and India's stated commitment to a stable, prosperous neighbourhood [3].