Modi Meets Trivedi in Delhi with ‘Dhaka’s Message’

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi travelled to Delhi on an unscheduled visit and met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Citing diplomatic sources in Delhi, BBC Bangla reported that Trivedi travelled to Delhi to convey Dhaka’s current position on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s possible visit to India and various other bilateral issues.

The meeting reportedly took place in Delhi on Tuesday.

Trivedi arrived in Delhi from Dhaka late Monday night. However, neither the Indian mission in Bangladesh, India’s Ministry of External Affairs nor Modi’s office has officially commented on the visit so far.

According to sources, after the meeting, Trivedi said that if Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman sit down for talks, there would be no issue that could not be resolved. He also said there was no need to rush regarding the prime minister’s possible visit to India.

In Bangladesh’s 55-year history since independence, Mr. Trivedi is the first Indian envoy appointed as a political appointee, with his appointment finalised by the Prime Minister’s Office. As a result, when he travels to Delhi, he usually meets Prime Minister Modi directly rather than reporting to the Ministry of External Affairs like career diplomats or professional envoys. This time was no exception.

Talks between the two countries on Tarique Rahman’s India visit had previously progressed considerably, but the visit has yet to take place.

Meanwhile, Delhi has long kept Dhaka’s request for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina pending, making the issue a major source of discomfort in bilateral relations.

There has also been no significant progress in talks between the two governments over the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty. The 30-year agreement, a key pact on water sharing between the two countries, is set to expire in December.