Will Modi meet Yunus amid ‘highly sensitive’ India-Bangladesh ties over Hasina ousting?
Analysts say India must accept reality of ‘Bangladesh 2.0’ and adopt a ‘fresh and novel’ approach to engaging with its neighbours
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears unwilling to meet Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, due to a reluctance to discuss difficult issues such as the extradition of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina, analysts say.
Relations with Dhaka had become “a highly sensitive issue” for New Delhi as any high-level engagement with the interim government would require India to focus on matters it would much rather avoid discussing right now, said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at The Wilson Center in Washington.
“Chief among them is [former Bangladesh prime minister] Sheikh Hasina’s presence in India,” he said, noting that the interim government wanted her extradited to Bangladesh while Delhi did not want to give her up given her close relationship with many of the country’s leaders.
“If Modi were to meet Yunus, it would be impossible to avoid discussing this issue.”
Indian media reported last week that Delhi had yet to confirm whether it would heed Dhaka’s request for a meeting between Modi and Yunus, who are expected to be in New York for the United Nations General Assembly later this month.
Last month, in their first high-level contact, Yunus spoke on the phone with Modi and assured him that the interim government would “prioritise protection, safety and security of Hindus and all minority groups in Bangladesh”.
