Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid, who was forced to leave the country after the student protest in Bangladesh, has been in India for the past month.
August 5 was the day when the weeks-long student protests in the country turned worse and Sheikh Hasina Wajid had to resign from her post and leave the country.
Initially, it was thought that his stay in India would be short, but according to the reports and information that have come out so far, he has failed to get political asylum in the United Kingdom, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates. So far they have not achieved any success in this matter.
Their presence in India has made it difficult for Delhi to build strong and stable relations with the new interim government in Dhaka.
For India, Bangladesh is not just a neighboring country but a strategic partner and close ally which is also of utmost importance for India’s border, especially in the northeastern states.
The two countries share a 4,096 km (2,545 mi) long border, making it relatively easy for militant groups from India’s northeastern states to enter Bangladesh for safe havens.
After Sheikh Hasina Wajid’s Awami League came to power in 2009, she announced tough measures against some militant groups. Despite her strict measures in the country, Hasina Wajid also amicably resolved several border disputes with neighboring India.
Although border issues are a very sensitive and important issue between the two countries, India and Bangladesh also support each other economically like good neighbours. During the 15-year rule of Hasina Wajid, trade relations and contacts between the two countries were boosted.
India continued to seek help from Bangladesh to transport goods to its northeastern states. For this work he also used the roads, train and river routes of Bangladesh.
Since 2010, India has loaned more than $7 billion to Bangladesh for infrastructure and development projects.
Hasina Wajid’s sudden departure means that Delhi will have to work hard to ensure that the benefits it has enjoyed from Bangladesh so far do not diminish.
Former High Commissioner of India in Dhaka Pink Ranjan Chakraborty says, “This is a serious blow for India in the sense that the tense situation in our neighborhood will never prove beneficial for us.”
But the former diplomat also stressed that Delhi would work with the interim government in Dhaka because “we have no choice but to do so” and that “you should not give orders to any country.” What can he do?’
India did not slow down in understanding the national interests and situation and wasted no time in contacting the Interim Government in Dhaka.
However, it will take some time for Delhi to normalize the situation in Bangladesh after the unwavering support of Hasina Wajid and her Awami League for the past 15 years and to reduce the anger among the Bangladeshi people.
Many Bangladeshis are also angry with India because India announced its support for Hasina Wajid and her political party, who won three disputed elections in Bangladesh.
Analysts say that if Delhi wants to preserve its status as a regional power, it cannot afford to lose its influence in another neighboring country, especially when rival China is also gaining influence in the region. Trying hard.
Only last year, Mohammad Moazzam took the help of anti-India stance to win the presidential elections in Maldives.
“Now is the time for India to rethink its regional policy,” says Debapriya Bhattacharya, senior economist at the Center for Policy Dialogue in Dhaka.
“Delhi needs to look at whether it has adequately adopted the approach of its regional partners,” he says.