The excellent bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh reflect an all-encompassing partnership based on sovereignty, equality, trust, and understanding that goes far beyond a strategic partnership. This can be referred to the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on February 7, 1972, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman said, “I firmly believe that India-Bangladesh friendship will remain forever. No power in the world can break this alliance.”
Having that base of bondage, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s attending Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony as Prime Minister of India reflects a further degree of moving forward. NDA chief Narendra Modi has been sworn in as India’s prime minister for the rare third time.
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This time, the BJP did not get an absolute majority in the elections. So, to form the government, the Padma Shavitra has to rely largely on the NDA’s allied parties. However, the BJP has kept important ministries like Home, Defense, Finance, Education, and Culture under its control. Among other important ministries, several have been distributed among Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), Chirag Paswan’s LJP(R), Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, H.D. Devgowda’s JDS, and Joyant Choudhury’s RLD.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina invited Narendra Modi to visit Bangladesh. Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud informed journalists about this during the Prime Minister’s visit to New Delhi.
On Monday morning, Sheikh Hasina and Narendra Modi held a private meeting at Hyderabad House. It was the first discussion between the two leaders after Modi secured his consecutive third victory. Diplomatic sources say that during the meeting, both leaders expressed their desire to deepen the existing warm relationship further.
Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud said that the bilateral relationship has reached a new height. We have to work together on some issues, including developing communication infrastructure to increase people-to-people connections and our multi-dimensional relations will deepen in the future. “In a very warm and friendly atmosphere, Sheikh Hasina invited her Indian counterpart to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time,” Dr. Mahmud said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also met with Sonia Gandhi, a member of the Rajya Sabha and Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, and her son Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
They met with Sheikh Hasina at the ITC Maurya Hotel and at that time, Sonia Gandhi’s daughter and Indian National Congress Party’s General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi was also present. The Prime Minister held a cordial meeting with the Gandhi family in private. After this meeting, Sheikh Hasina had a meeting with Indian Union Minister S. Jaishankar.
Later, Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud briefed journalists about the two meetings. Mentioning that the meeting between the Prime Minister and Indian Union Minister S. Jaishankar was also ‘cordial’, the Foreign Minister said, ‘Recalling S. Jaishankar’s sincerity during his tenure as the Indian Foreign Minister, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina congratulated him on being re-elected as a minister and expressed her intention to work together.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may revisit India at the end of this month. Analysts believe Sheikh Hasina’s participation in Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony before that visit and the separate meeting with Modi have different significance.
According to them, this indicates a close relationship between the Awami League government and the Modi government. It was seen before the Bangladesh elections as well. It will be seen in the future too.
However, they think that how much Bangladesh will benefit from this or how much it will help in resolving various unresolved issues will be seen in the future.
A change of government in India usually does not change much in its foreign policy. And in India, the government has not changed in that sense. Modi is back in power. There is a general consensus in India regarding foreign policy. And as far as Bangladesh is concerned, it is even more determined. Even if the party changes, there is no change in the Bangladesh policy. Perhaps something could be highlighted based on people’s expectations or demands.
The relationship between the two countries will remain as it is. When the Awami League came to power in 2008, Congress was in power in India. When Modi came to power in 2014, many assumed that the Awami League would face many difficulties but there was no problem.
Bangladesh’s importance in India’s foreign policy has gradually increased in the last decade and a half. Officially, India has repeatedly said Bangladesh is its ‘friendliest neighbor’ in South Asia. During this time, incredible progress can be seen in the talks between India and Bangladesh on security, defense, connectivity, water sharing of common rivers, land and maritime disputes settlement, cooperation in the power and energy sector, etc.
Sheikh Hasina handled the situation wisely and maintained a balanced diplomacy with India and China. Bangladesh needs China in the development process at the moment. There is no reason to think this will become a headache for India. Sheikh Hasina’s government will never allow any power to use the territory of Bangladesh for anti-India activities. This fact has been proven since the Awami League government formed in 1996. The government still maintains this policy, and India believes in it.
Not only in the Liberation War, India also played a key role in securing the release of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was imprisoned in Pakistan. Due to Indira Gandhi’s efforts in shaping global public opinion, the Pakistani government was forced to release Bangabandhu within a very short time. Bangabandhu did not forget this and on his way back to Dhaka from Pakistan via London, he stopped in Delhi to meet Indira Gandhi. Bangabandhu expressed gratitude to the Indian government and its people for their sincere assistance in Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
The US Ambassador’s activism regarding the elections held at the beginning of 2024 was noticeable. They also tried to secure the support of Bangladesh’s influential neighboring country, India. But the Modi government did not respond to their call. Instead, they have shown their friendship by opposing foreign interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs. Additionally, during the coronavirus pandemic, India was the first to assist us with vaccines.
Over the past decade, Narendra Modi has emerged as one of the world leaders through his competence. Through proper foreign policy, he has taken India to an unparalleled height in world politics. From being a tea seller, this Indian leader has established himself as the undisputed leader of India through a long political journey. His mature politics has enabled the Bharatiya Janata Party to come to power three times in a row.
The author is a Research Fellow, BNNRC.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of Press Xpress.
