New Delhi: A Gujarati businessman, who did his schooling and college in Kolkata, is now being appointed as India’s Commissioner to Bangladesh. It is the first instance in over three decades that India appointed a political identity for an ambassadorial role in Bangladesh.
The veteran political figure is known for his deep roots in West Bengal and has a deep understanding of cross-border dynamics, which will help him in the role when ties between India and Bangladesh are in a repairing mode.
Trivedi moved to the United States of America to pursue an MBA degree. After joining politics, he represented multiple parties such as Congress, Janata Dal, Trinamool Congress (TMC), before landing in the BJP.
TMC gave Trivedia his first major break when the party nominated him as minister of state for health and family welfare in 2009. Later, he became the Railway Minister in the Congress-led UPA government in 2011.
His exit from the TMC was high-profile, as he was considered a close aide of Mamata Banerjee. In 2021, he joined the BJP and also resigned as a TMC member of Parliament in the Upper House.
Trivedi’s reputation and his style helped him within Bengal politics. His ties with Sangh Parivar also ran deep, with maintaining the relations with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and senior leaders Amit Shah and Narendra Modi.
Currently, India has only one political identity among its ambassadors. Vinay Kwatra was appointed ambassador to the US after retiring from the IFS.
India and Bangladesh’s ties
The current Prime Minister of Bangladesh,Tarique Rahman, also invited Narendra Modi for his swearing-in ceremony, and the Indian government also seeks to repair ties with Bangladesh.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended the funeral of Rahman’s mother. Lok Sabha speaker and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri attended the swearing-in ceremony of the BNP government.