Dhaka, Delhi must manage ties better

The breaching and ransacking of the Bangladeshi consulate in Agartala by a large group of protestors reflects the downward spiral in bilateral relations since the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus came to power in Dhaka in August. Barely six months ago, such an incident would have been unthinkable. There are protests in several states bordering Bangladesh over the persecution of the country’s Hindu minority and the arrest of Bangladeshi monk Chinmoy Krishna Das on sedition charges. Yunus’ caretaker government has described reports of the targeting of Hindus and other minorities as exaggerated and has done little to address India’s concerns on this front. This is making the task of restoring ties to an even keel more difficult.

The downturn in the bilateral relationship has also impacted trade and human relations, with a key land border crossing blocked, preventing the movement of cargo. There is clearly a need to firewall people-to-people contacts from the outcomes of the regime change in Dhaka. With elections unlikely to be held in Bangladesh in the foreseeable future, both sides will have to find ways to engage and effectively manage the relationship so that the gains of the trade and energy connectivity built up over the past decade are not frittered away.

For this, state governments and political leaders in India should be sensitive and follow the lead from the Centre on bilateral ties. For instance, statements such as calling for UN peacekeepers to be deployed in Bangladesh, made more with an eye on the domestic political constituency, should be avoided. Foreign policy should be left to the foreign ministry — more so in such a sensitive environment.

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