PM Modi receives invite for Tarique Rahman swearing in

 

In a major foreign policy signal Bangladesh PM-elect Tarique Rahman has invited PM Narendra Modi for his oath ceremony. 

Namo has been invited by Bangladesh to attend the February 17 swearing-in of Tarique Rahman as Prime Minister following BNP's sweeping election victory in Feb 12 polls. 

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India is among the 13 countries invited by Chief Adviser of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus. The other nations are China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives and Bhutan.

India has not officially confirmed receipt of the invitation, and a decision on whether Prime Minister Modi will attend the ceremony is awaited, even as both nations attempt to reset bilateral ties. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to attend the event in Dhaka.

The BNP secured a commanding 209 of the 297 seats, while the right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami, considered close to Pakistan, won 68 seats. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League was barred from contesting the polls, which recorded a voter turnout of 59.44 per cent.

After the results were announced on Friday, Prime Minister Modi spoke with Rahman and reaffirmed India’s continued commitment to the peace, progress and prosperity of the people of both countries.

"I conveyed my best wishes and support in his endeavour to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh. 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 wrote on X after the call.

In another post, the PM said he looked forward to working with him to advance common development goals.

Rahman, in his first brief remarks on ties with India following his poll victory, said Bangladesh’s “interests” would form the cornerstone of his foreign policy towards New Delhi.

“The interests of Bangladesh and its people will determine our foreign policy,” Rahman said, adding that he seeks to maintain balanced relations with regional powers such as India, China and Pakistan, and does not view any country as a “master”. 

Of course the Sheikh Hasina regime was friendly to India. 

India needs to take the first mover advantage in engagement and assistance, else New Delhi would get muscled out by China and the US. Narendra Modi's phone call wss timely. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rightly reached out to Tarique Rehman first by a tweet and then spoke personally too. It is the smart ans expected approach.

New Delhi now needs to "sweeten the genuine friendship deal" with a befitting economic package.

There can be targeted investments in RMG exports, infrastructure, and job creation to stabilise the transition. In other words, India has to "rebuild" the goodwill, help curb any major unrest and of course positions India as a steady partner. 

The outcome could be setback for the US and Pakistan as a lot was allegedly invested. But the results will force external forces to decide the future of Mohammed Yunus and also could possibly open new doors for ousted PM Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League. The BNP was leading in maximum out of which results and trends available so far. 

Ousted leader and also served with death sentence, Sheikh Hasina is in constant communication with her people in Bangladesh and India.

 She is still inspiring party activists, party leaders, grassroots leaders and other professional bodies. 

Hasina is of course trying to make her party ready for the upcoming struggle.

The Awami League was banned in 2024 and the Bangladesh Chhatra League was labelled a “terrorist organisation” by the interim government.

 Several Awami League leaders face multiple charges of sedition and crimes against humanity, which they deny.

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