New Delhi’s policy of interfering in Dhaka’s internal affairs and discussing its political developments with the US -- a strategy adopted since Sheikh Hasina's ouster -- is unlikely to foster an enduring relationship between the two neighbours, who share more than 4,000km of land borders.
In a latest development, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on February 14 told a media briefing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed India’s “concerns” about the evolving situation in Bangladesh during his meeting with US President Donald Trump. Addressing the media after the discussion in Washington DC, Misri however said India continues to hope for a “constructive” relationship with the interim government in Dhaka. However, nothing was said about Bangladesh from the US side.
Earlier in August last year Indian Prime Minister Modi himself tweeted about a conversation with former US President Joe Biden, stating that they discussed Ukraine and "also talked about the situation in Bangladesh, emphasising the need for early restoration of normalcy and ensuring the safety and security of minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh." However, the White House's readout of the same conversation made no mention of Bangladesh.
This was echoed during the joint press conference between Trump and Modi, where a journalist, likely an Indian, planted a question seemingly aimed at eliciting negative comments from the US administration: "Mr President, what do you have to say about the Bangladesh issue? Because we have seen how the US deep state was involved in regime change during the Biden administration -- it’s clear. And then Mohammad Yunus met with Junior Soros as well. So, what is your opinion on Bangladesh?"
The journalist’s question appeared to be a deliberate attempt to undermine Bangladesh’s July uprising. The question echoed the narrative of sections of the Indian media, who wasted no time maligning Bangladesh through false propaganda.
An analysis by independent fact-checking organization Rumor Scanner, which revealed that 72 Indian media outlets disseminated at least 137 false reports on 32 topics related to Bangladesh in 2024, corroborates the role of certain sections of the Indian media in spreading misinformation.
However, Donald Trump’s response ended up backfiring. "Well, there was no role of our deep state. This is something that (India’s) prime minister has been working for a long time … And he has been working on it for hundreds of years. But I will leave the Bangladesh issue to (India’s) prime minister," Trump said, gesturing towards Narendra Modi seated beside him. Modi did not answer and instead began speaking about Ukraine.
Meanwhile in the first week of February, India condemned the demolition of the historic residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi-32 by protesters. Hundreds of protesters stormed the building and began demolishing it to coincide with an online programme where Hasina was scheduled to speak.
In a statement India said: "It is regrettable that the historic residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a symbol of the heroic resistance of the people of Bangladesh against the forces of occupation and oppression, was destroyed on February 5, 2025."
Bangladesh responded to India’s remarks on the demolition of the historic Dhanmondi-32 residence, calling them "unexpected and undesirable." Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Rafiqul Alam noted that while Bangladesh had observed many adverse events in India, it refrained from commenting on another state’s internal affairs and expected the same in return.
India’s shift in policy is notable because, before Sheikh Hasina fled to India, New Delhi consistently labeled Bangladesh’s political issues as domestic matters
The interim government termed the vandalism at Dhanmondi-32 "unfortunate and unexpected," attributing it to public anger incited by Sheikh Hasina’s "provocative remarks" from India against the July uprising. The government urged India to prevent its territory from being used to destabilize Bangladesh and to stop Sheikh Hasina from issuing further statements.
India’s shift in policy is notable because, before Sheikh Hasina fled to India, New Delhi consistently labeled Bangladesh’s political issues as domestic matters. In January 2024, when questioned about concerns over the credibility of Bangladesh’s January elections without the participation of major opposition parties, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said, "The elections in Bangladesh -- and we have been very consistently saying this -- is the domestic affair of Bangladesh."
India was seen as having its “hobnobbing” ties with Sheikh Hasina, a relationship many Bangladeshis believed came at the expense of national interests. Despite granting India transshipment facilities and easy market access, unresolved issues like water sharing and continued cross-border killings persisted without strong protest from Bangladesh.
The new government in Bangladesh, led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, has made it clear that relations between the two countries should be based on equality and mutual respect, and nothing less.
Over the six months the Indian establishment perhaps has started realizing that it needs to have people to people relations for fostering enduring ties, beneficial for both the countries.
Recently it seems that Indian National Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said his country should prioritize Bangladeshi people, not any political party, adding that he does not think the present interim government can be described as hostile.
Acknowledging the fact that Hasina's recent comments have made everything "complicated," Tharoor, also a former state minister for foreign affairs of India, added India should not do anything overtly or covertly that implies an interference with internal affairs of Bangladesh.
A recent report by the United Nations Human Rights Office on the July mass uprising stated that Hasina had personally ordered the killing of students and protesters during the events, noting that the abuses could amount to "crimes against humanity." In light of the UN office’s assessment, it is expected that New Delhi, if it has any concerns, should engage with Dhaka directly.
In a positive development, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on February 16, on the sidelines of the eighth Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) in Muscat, Oman. The two leaders acknowledged the challenges facing their bilateral relations and emphasized the necessity of working together to address them.
However, adding a new twist to relations between the two countries, whose many people have family ties across the border, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on February 23, said that Dhaka needs to make up its mind about what kind of relationship it wants with New Delhi. "If someone in the interim government blames India for everything every day … You cannot, on one hand, say I would now like to have good relations with you," Jaishankar said while speaking at the Delhi University Literature Festival.
In reaction to S Jaishankar’s comments, Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain February 24 in a media briefing in Dhaka said just as Bangladesh will decide what kind of relationship it wants with India, New Delhi must also think the same way. Hossain also stated there is nothing to say about different statements coming from various policymakers on both sides.
The ball is in New Delhi’s court now to define the kind of ties it seeks through actions. Will it?
Shamim A Zahedy is a journalist. He can be reached at [email protected]
