A day after Defense Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Bangladesh Embassy in Delhi, Bangladeshi media have taken potshots at Delhi, stating it was “moving forward in line with reality” about its “political defeat” in the country.
Singh on Thursday visited the Embassy, where he signed the Condolence Book expressing sorrow at the passing of former Prime Minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. His visit comes just days after Hindu organisations protested in front of the Embassy against the mob lynching of Hindu man, Dipu Chandra Das, in Bangladesh.
An analysis piece that appeared in Bangladesh’s leading daily, Prothom Alo, said that Singh’s visit comes after four years. “The brief visit of Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar to Dhaka and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh to the Bangladesh mission in the last two days is significant,” it said, adding that Singh's visit was to indicate that Delhi was taking the responsibility of ensuring maximum security at the Embassy.
Prothom Alo quoted sources within diplomatic and government sources, which claim that India’s statement that it was waiting to join hands with “whoever comes to power in Bangladesh through a democratic process” was aimed at the BNP, Khaleda Zia’s party.
“In that regard, Rajnath Singh's visit to the Bangladesh mission in Delhi and signing the condolence book the day after S Jaishankar's visit to Dhaka is a clear indication of India's interest in taking the relationship forward,” it added.
Meanwhile, Amar Desh, another Dhaka-based newspaper, falsely claimed that the decision to send the BNP Chairperson to jail on a false case is believed to have come from Delhi. “After the fall of Sheikh Hasina, Delhi is being forced to rethink its Bangladesh policy. S Jaishankar, one of India's leading policymakers, flew to pay tribute to Khaleda Zia, whom Delhi's policymakers never trusted, on her death,” Amar Desh wrote. “Diplomatic and political analysts are divided on the question of whether India really wants to improve relations or whether India has no alternative at this time,” the newspaper claimed.
“Diplomatic analysts say that in the changed situation, Delhi has started to rethink its Bangladesh policy, considering the security of India's Seven Sisters and the regional geopolitical context. Delhi's policymakers, who have shown extreme hostility towards BNP over the Jamaat issue, are now eager to build close ties with Jamaat for their own needs,” it claimed.
It also quoted an unnamed “senior diplomat” source who said whatever Delhi is doing, it is doing it keeping in mind its national interests. “Therefore, there is no reason to think that Delhi has changed its Bangladesh policy. We would be making a big mistake if we think that Delhi has completely deviated from its previous position,” it claimed without giving any clarity about the source.
Another Bangla newspaper, Samakal, also highlighted Jaishankar’s and Rajnath Singh’s visit. “One is that India is accepting the current reality of Bangladesh. They think that they may have to work with BNP in the future,” it said.