Modi-Rahman meeting can ease India-Bangladesh ties: Envoy
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi could resolve strains in bilateral ties, Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Dinesh Trivedi said on Sunday.
His comments come amid speculations that Rahman, who has been invited by India to attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi, may skip the event scheduled for September 12-13.
Relations between India and Bangladesh have witnessed strain after former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina virtually addressed the press on August 5 in New Delhi, where she said she is determined to return home in December to put the country on the “right track” by restoring democracy, notwithstanding the risk of facing the threat of imprisonment or a death sentence.
Bangladesh expressed outrage over the media interaction, saying the event has hurt the sentiments of its people and could adversely affect efforts to improve bilateral ties with India.
However, India’s Ministry of External Affairs on August 7 confirmed that it had no role in the media event concerning Hasina and it does not endorse anything said at the forum about the Bangladesh Government.
“When two leaders meet, a lot of problems are solved. I have full confidence [about the problem resolution through the meeting],” said Trivedi at an event in a visa application centre in Dhaka.
“We all respect Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman a lot. He is a people’s person, and our PM is also a people’s person”, he said.
“I am very confident,” he added. “There is nothing negative. Things remain positive.”
Trivedi, a senior leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, is the first politician to serve as the Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh, with the status of a union minister, who arrived in the country on June 12.
He is scheduled to meet Rahman on Monday.
Hasina’s Government was toppled in August 2024, after violent student-led street protests, forcing her to flee to India.
In November 2025, Hasina was sentenced to death, in absentia, by a special tribunal in Dhaka for alleged “crimes against humanity” over her Government’s brutal crackdown on protesters in 2024. Since the verdict, Dhaka has been urging New Delhi to extradite her to face the law.
The current Government in Bangladesh - led by Rahman’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party - maintains that Hasina shall have to surrender and face the law if she returns.
India’s ties with Bangladesh had turned frosty under an interim Government led by Muhammad Yunus, which succeeded Hasina’s Awami League, especially over the ousted leader’s extradition, border-related issues and Dhaka’s foreign policy pivot toward China.
But the relations experienced a cautious and uneasy reset after the new Government under Rahman took charge in February.
In that context, the August 5 press interaction marks a new flashpoint between the two neighbouring countries.
On Sunday, the Prothom Alo newspaper in Bangladesh reported that it is “almost certain” Rahman would skip India’s invitation to participate in the BRICS summit as tensions mounted afresh in bilateral ties over Hasina’s August 5 virtual press interaction in New Delhi.
Citing unidentified sources, the newspaper said: “The recent situation virtually shut the possibility of the premier’s participation in BRICS outreach.”
Earlier, on Saturday, Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed warned that India could not simultaneously play the “Hasina card” and pursue friendly ties with Bangladesh. “We will maintain our relationship with you (India). But that does not mean you can play the Hasina card and still want a friendly relationship with Bangladesh,” he said.
