Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent his warmest wishes to the recently sworn-in leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and asked Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit India.
Rahman received the invitation in the form of a letter from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who visited him in Dhaka following his inauguration as prime minister on Tuesday, according to sources cited by news agency PTI.
Birla stated that India is prepared to assist Bangladesh in its efforts to create a democratic, forward-thinking, and inclusive country after attending the swearing-in event in Dhaka.
“Happy to be in Dhaka today for the swearing-in ceremony of the new Bangladeshi administration, which is headed by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. India is prepared to assist Bangladesh in its efforts to create a democratic, forward-thinking, and welcoming country,” Birla said on X.
Given that relations between New Delhi and Dhaka had already deteriorated shortly after the overthrow of the Hasina-led Awami League regime on August 5, 2024, and the violence that followed against minorities, especially the Hindu community, the development represents a significant turning point in India-Bangladesh relations under the new political leadership in Dhaka.
Following the swearing-in of the new government, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah tweeted on X, “Prime Minister Tarique Rahman extends his greetings to India and PM Narendra Modi to the visiting India Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at a courtesy encounter.”
“Speaker Birla invited India and sent well wishes.” Both presidents expressed the hope that they will work together for the benefit of the people of India and Bangladesh as they pursue a people-centric agenda of cooperation.
On the sidelines of the event, Birla also met with Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay of Bhutan, President Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives, and other leaders.
With a two-thirds majority under Rahman’s leadership, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won 209 seats and 49.97 percent of the vote in the February 12 elections, with the results announced on February 13.
With 68 seats and 31.76 percent of the vote, the Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposed Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971, had its best-ever showing. With six seats and 3.05 percent of the vote, the National Citizen Party (NCP) earned the third-highest number of seats.
Are India-Bangladesh ties still intact?
Experts have told LiveMint that Modi’s invitation to Rahman is a chance to halt the decline in relations between Bangladesh and India and start over.
“Bangladesh and India have started to normalize their relationship in small measures. Praveen Donthi, Senior Analyst, International Crisis Group, told LiveMint on January 16 that it began with S Jaishankar carrying Prime Minister Modi’s message about a “fresh beginning” to Dhaka for Khaleda Zia’s funeral.
In India, the departing interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been seen as less in line with New Delhi’s strategic objectives. Political observers claimed that the main reason Delhi has not interacted with Dhaka in the past 18 months is that India views the Yunus administration as an unelected government.
Speaker Om Birla’s visit, which came after Prime Minister Modi and President-elect Tariq Rahman spoke over the phone, “is signaling the same purpose from both sides,” Donthi stated.
Bangladesh asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the event, but he was unable to go since he had a Tuesday meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai.
“Happy to be in Dhaka representing India at the swearing-in ceremony of the new government led by Tarique Rahman as the prime minister,” Birla said upon arriving in Dhaka, adding that Rahman’s swearing-in was a significant event that would improve people-to-people relations and shared democratic values between the two neighbors. It is a significant moment that will deepen our two countries’ common democratic values and people-to-people ties,” Birla stated.
It was an honor to represent India in Dhaka during the swearing-in event for the new government, which included Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. It is a significant occasion that will deepen our two countries’ common democratic values and interpersonal relationships.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri along with other officials accompanied Birla.
