The people of northeast India (NE), who were disturbed by some recent developments deteriorating bilateral ties with immediate neighbours, woke up to an impressive one-to-one meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus on Friday. Both the South Asian leaders had a warm discussion on the sideline of the 6th BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) summit, comprising member countries namely India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar, held in Bangkok on 4 April 2025. It was, in fact, the first meeting between PM Modi and Prof. Yunus after the lone Nobel laureate of Bangladesh took charge of the caretaker government in Dhaka following a massive student-led movement that compelled sitting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee from Ganabhawan on 5 August last year.

Apparently Dhaka raised the issue of Hasina’s extradition to face hundreds of cases lodged against the consecutive fourth-time premier of the Muslim-majority nation, along with a number of Awami League leaders in their home country. Incidentally, the deposed premier Hasina arrived in New Delhi for temporary shelter, and that particular status still continues. Yunus also raised the issue of Hasina’s provocative statements, which unnecessarily created confusion in Indo-Bangla relations. The issue of border killings and sharing of water from common rivers (precisely Teesta) also surfaced in the discussion that lasted for around 40 minutes. On the other hand, PM Modi insisted on maintaining the border security and expressed his hope that the Yunus administration would thoroughly investigate all cases of atrocities against minority people, including the Hindus. He reiterated India’s support for a democratic, progressive and comprehensive Bangladesh.

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The exchange of words between the two distinguished leaders, who greeted each other with mutual respect, was candid, productive and constructive, said a close associate of Prof. Yunus, who opined that Bangladesh deeply values its relationship with India. The deep-rooted friendship between the two countries is founded on intertwined histories, geographical proximity and cultural affinity. Bangladesh remains thankful for the unwavering support of the government and people of India during its most challenging time in 1971, added the source. As Bangladesh assumes chairmanship of BIMSTEC, Prof Yunus sought the support of India for a free trade agreement among the seven member nations.

PM Modi congratulated him on the assumption of the BIMSTEC chairmanship and also greeted Prof Yunus on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr. Moreover, the saffron leader of India pointed out that the history of both the neighbours is intricately linked. Stating that India does not support any particular political party in Bangladesh, but it continues to emphasise people-to-people relationships. Both leaders concluded their fruitful and honest dialogue by wishing each other good health (also personal well-being) and extended their best wishes for continued peace, progress and prosperity for the people of India and Bangladesh.

But until it was materialised, political observers believed that a separate meeting between PM Modi and Prof Yunus in Bangkok was very unlikely. Some developments were apprehended to deter organising the much talked about one-to-one meeting between them. First, the octogenarian banker-turned-interim government head embarked on a China visit just ahead of the Bangkok summit and engaged in a discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on 28 March. Secondly, Prof Yunus was seen busy bringing Dhaka closer to Islamabad, even though Pakistan faced severe internal problems with the Baloch freedom-aspiring nationals.

Mentionable is that Prof Yunus met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in New York during the United Nations General Assembly in September 2024. It was followed by regular cargo shipping and direct flights to facilitate the people to contact between Bangladesh and Pakistan (incidentally, both were under the same territory as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan after separating from Hindustan/India in 1947). Weeks back, a delegation of Pakistani traders visited Dhaka with an aim to establish a joint council, and a team of Bangladeshi military officials paid a trip to Pakistan, followed by a Pak-military delegation visiting Bangladesh. A popular Pakistani singer also recently performed Qawwali in Dhaka with a rousing response.

On the other hand, a strong message from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an ideologue of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, over the atrocities on religious minorities in Bangladesh with impunity from the government agencies, was assumed to play spoilsports in the initiative. The RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha 2025, held in Bengaluru during March, expressed its serious concern about the unabated and planned violence, injustice and oppression faced by the Hindu and other minority communities at the hands of radical Islamist elements in Bangladesh. Terming it a fit case of human rights violation, the ABPS observed that during the recent regime change in Dhaka, several incidents of attacks on maths, temples, Durgapuja pandals and educational institutions; desecration of deities; barbaric killings; looting of properties; abduction and molestation of women; and forcible conversions were reported.

RSS Sah-Sarkaryavah Arun Kumar highlighted the continuous decline of the Hindu population in Bangladesh (from 22 per cent in 1951 to just 7.95 per cent today), asserting that it only reflects the severity of the perennial crisis. The level of organised violence and the government’s passive response in the last few months were alarming, but the administration continues denying the religious angle of these incidents. The RSS meet also raised concerns over the rising anti-Bharat rhetoric in Bangladesh, which threatens to strain the historically deep-rooted ties between the two nations. Bharat and its neighbouring countries share a common cultural and historical heritage, and any form of communal discord in one part of the region affects the entire subcontinent, asserted Kumar. Finally the Sangh called upon international organisations to take serious note of these inhumane acts and pressurise Dhaka to take concrete steps to halt violence against Hindus and other minorities.

Prof. Yunus, during his formal speech in the Thai capital city, reiterated that Bangladesh will go for national elections very soon once their political parties agree to accept a minimal reform in various administrative, financial, electoral and judicial systems with assurances that the winning representatives in Jatiya Sansad (National Assembly) will continue pursuing the reform process in the South Asian country. He believes that Bangladesh needs a major reform in various sectors, including civil & police administration, anti-corruption departments, financial institutions, and the judicial and electoral systems. The caretaker government had already directed the responsible authorities to prepare for the polls. Meanwhile, over 20 political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e Islami, and the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), etc., submitted their opinions to the National Consensus Commission, which is headed by Prof. Yunus. Till now, Hasina’s party is not in the scene, and it’s difficult to guess if their candidates would be allowed to participate in the elections.

As Bangladesh shares over 4,050 kilometres of international border with India (1,879 km with northeastern states, namely Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram), the northeastern residents expect that the electoral process in the country of nearly 180 million people (with over 12 crore eligible voters) will be free, fair and comprehensive. They are also optimistic about a stable democratic regime to be installed in Dhaka, which would pursue an improved relation for normalising exports and imports as well as connectivity through road, rail and river routes. Potential tourism revenues from Bangladeshi nationals and the use of Chittagong port as well as Sylhet airport may also offer dividends to the landlocked region. More specifically, they anticipate a strict restriction of the unabated Bangladeshi influx with an aim to safeguard the interests of indigenous communities in the far-eastern part of India.

The writer is a Guwahati-based special representative of The Statesman