BIMSTEC Summit 2025: Will PM Modi and Bangladesh’s Yunus Cross Paths in Bangkok?

After the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed days ago that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would attend the BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand, speculation arose regarding a possible meeting between the prime minister and Bangladesh’s interim government Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus.

Bangladesh Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus (L) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R). PTI / AP

Dhaka has been making concerted efforts to arrange a one-on-one meeting between PM Modi and Yunus in Bangkok this week. However, New Delhi has yet to comment on the possibility of such an engagement, Times of India reported on Monday.

Signals from Dhaka suggest that the interim government is eager for the meeting, believing it could help restore bilateral ties.

According to a News 18 report citing highly placed sources, no bilateral meeting has been scheduled between the two leaders.

Yunus recently traveled to China, where he made a strategic move by announcing a series of agreements, seemingly sending a message to India. He even asserted that Bangladesh alone could facilitate sea access for India’s northeastern states.

Encouraging Beijing to deepen its economic footprint in Bangladesh, Yunus controversially suggested that India's landlocked northeastern region could serve as an opportunity for Chinese investment.

His statements, reportedly made during a four-day visit to China, began circulating on social media on Monday.

Yunus, who met President Xi Jinping and finalized nine agreements during the visit, stated, “The seven states of India, the eastern part of India, are called the seven sisters. They are a landlocked region of India. They have no way to reach out to the ocean."

Referring to Bangladesh as the "sole guardian of the ocean" in the region, he highlighted the potential for this to be a significant opportunity and an extension of the Chinese economy.

Meanwhile, amid these developments, Prime Minister Modi extended his Eid-ul-Fitr greetings to Yunus and the people of Bangladesh on Monday, emphasizing the desire for a stronger bond between the two nations.

“May the bonds of friendship among our countries grow stronger,” PM Modi conveyed his message, which was shared by the chief adviser’s press wing.

PM Modi stated that as the sacred month of Ramzan nears its end, “I take this moment to extend warm greetings and felicitations to you and the people of Bangladesh on the joyous occasion of the festival of Eid al-Fitr”.

As reported by News 18, the Bangladeshi leader has been attempting to arrange a meeting with PM Modi for several months. However, the key issue has been the violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, a topic the Indian government has raised at various platforms.

Officially, India has faced challenges in engaging with Bangladesh due to the latter's caretaker government, which is not an elected administration.

India and Bangladesh share strong historical, cultural, and linguistic bonds, dating back to their joint efforts during Bangladesh's liberation. These ties remain intact, even with the caretaker government in power since August of the previous year.

Recently, the Indian government updated a parliamentary committee on its interactions with the interim government, addressing concerns related to state matters, regional security, escalating extremism, attacks on minorities, and economic development.

On March 1, 2025, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council issued a statement highlighting the ongoing violence against religious, ethnic, and indigenous minorities. Between August 4 and December 31, 2024, 2,184 attacks targeting minorities were reported.

On December 10, 2024, the Bangladeshi government announced the arrest of 70 individuals in connection with 88 cases of such attacks.

India has consistently urged Bangladesh to take meaningful action to protect minority rights and foster inclusion and tolerance. However, the Bangladeshi government has not only neglected to acknowledge the systematic persecution of minorities but has also downplayed the severity of the violence against Hindus since August 2024.

Chief Adviser Md. Yunus, along with other advisers, has dismissed reports of atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh as media exaggerations, asserting that these incidents were not communal but rather "political killings" targeting Awami League members. On January 12, 2025, the Office of the Chief Adviser issued a press statement stating that a police investigation had determined that over 98% of the 1,415 verified attacks on minorities between August 4 and 20, 2024, were “politically motivated” and did not carry any communal intent, contrary to media portrayals in Bangladesh, according to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s presentation to the Standing Committee on External Affairs on March 26.

India-Bangladesh relations have worsened since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5. Amid weeks of anti-government protests, Hasina resigned as Bangladesh's prime minister and fled to India, where she has been staying under tight security.

(This Article was originally published by First Post)