New Delhi: As the first reports came in of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s comfortable victory in the general election on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched outreach to Dhaka to rebuild bilateral ties by telling BNP chief Tarique Rahman that India stands ready to strengthen relations and work for regional peace and progress.
The Indian side now faces the task of resetting bilateral relations, which plummeted to their lowest point in more than a decade under the caretaker administration led by Muhammad Yunus, by working with the BNP, whose past stints in power were characterised by uneasy ties with New Delhi.
Modi was among the first world leaders to congratulate Rahman as unofficial results showed the BNP in the lead in the election, the first since former premier Sheikh Hasina’s government was toppled by student-led protests in August 2024, and the PM followed it up with a phone call to Rahman, who is set to be Bangladesh’s next prime minister.
“Delighted to speak with Mr Tarique Rahman. I congratulated him on the remarkable victory in the Bangladesh elections,” Modi said on social media. “As two close neighbours with deep-rooted historical and cultural ties, I reaffirmed India’s continued commitment to the peace, progress, and prosperity of both our peoples.”
Modi said he had also conveyed his support for Rahman’s “endeavour to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh”. In an earlier post congratulating Rahman, Modi said the BNP’s “decisive victory” reflected the Bangladeshi people’s trust in the BNP chief’s leadership.
“India will continue to stand in support of a democratic, progressive and inclusive Bangladesh,” he said. “I look forward to working with you to strengthen our multifaceted relations and advance our common development goals.”
Indian and Bangladeshi officials often described former premier Hasina’s 15-year tenure as a “golden chapter” in bilateral relations, and this proximity to the Awami League regime led to accusations from other political forces in Dhaka that New Delhi had put all its eggs in one basket. However, the two sides were able to implement an extensive agenda for economic, energy and physical connectivity, and the Awami League government played a key role in addressing India’s security concerns related to the strategic northeastern states.
People familiar with the matter said the Indian side’s focus will now be on rebuilding bilateral relations and consolidating engagement with political stakeholders in Bangladesh that has been underway for close to 18 months. New Delhi has taken a number of steps to convey it is ready to work with the BNP, including Modi’s offer to help with the treatment of Rahman’s late mother, former premier Khaleda Zia, and sending external affairs minister S Jaishankar to represent India at her funeral last December.
Jaishankar met Rahman during the visit and conveyed a message from Modi while reiterating that the BNP should have “no inhibitions” about India’s desire to forge better ties and that it should not look to the past, people familiar with the discussions said.
However, the Indian side will have to navigate the tricky issue of Hasina’s presence in the country – she has lived in self-exile in the capital since fleeing Dhaka in 2024 – especially as the BNP has made it clear that it intends to reiterate the interim government’s demand for her extradition. BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters in Dhaka on Friday that the party will formally urge India to extradite Hasina to stand trial in Bangladesh. Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal last November for her role in cracking down on the protests in July-August 2024.
“We will press for her extradition in accordance with the law. It is a matter between the foreign ministry of Bangladesh and the foreign ministry of India. We will urge the government of India to send her back to face trial,” Ahmed said.
The Indian side has also warily watched the electoral gains made by the 11-party alliance led by the Jamaat-e-Islami, which has pursued an agenda that marginalises the role of women and was in the past linked to radical elements with links to militant forces in northeast India. The Jamaat-led coalition is set to bag more than 75 seats in the 300-strong Parliament, marking a remarkable turnaround for a party that was once banned by Hasina and saw its leaders convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal for crimes during Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.
The Jamaat’s strong showing in many constituencies bordering the Indian states of West Bengal and Assam, both set to go to polls this year, has led to concerns on the Indian side, the people said.
Other issues being closely watched by the Indian side include the BNP leadership’s push to revive the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) – which was initiated by Rahman’s father, late former president Ziaur Rahman – and the implementation of the “yes” vote in a referendum on constitutional amendments, including a two-term limit for the prime minister and an increase in women’s representation in parliament.
Saarc has been largely dormant since India pulled out of a planned summit in Pakistan in November 2016 after a terror attack on an Indian Army camp in Uri. The Indian side has pushed for regional cooperation under other groupings such as Bimstec, a message that was reiterated during Jaishankar’s recent meeting with Rahman, the people said.