New Delhi: On the eve of the BIMSTEC summit in Thailand, a senior Bangladeshi government official noted there was a “high possibility” of a meeting between Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (April 4), as Bangladeshi media, citing sources, confirmed that the meeting was scheduled.Bangladesh formally requested a meeting between Yunus and Modi, but India has not publicly confirmed it. The last statement from the Ministry of External Affairs only noted that the request was under consideration.Both Yunus and Modi will reach Bangkok on Thursday for the BIMSTEC summit, which is taking place after a gap of three years.Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will be hosting a dinner for the visiting BIMSTEC leaders on Thursday evening, while the summit will take place for two hours on Friday morning.BIMSTEC, short for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, is a sub-regional grouping comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, focused on economic and technical collaboration.The last physical BIMSTEC summit was held in Nepal in August 2018, followed by a virtual summit chaired by Sri Lanka in March 2022.Bangladesh is set to take over as the next chair.In Dhaka, high representative to the chief adviser Khalilur Rahman told reporters that Bangladesh had “reasonable grounds to remain hopeful”.“There is a high possibility of the meeting,” he stated.Meanwhile, major Bangladesh media outlets, citing unnamed official sources, reported that the meeting would take place on Friday.However, there was no official response from Delhi, with sources indicating that discussions were still ongoing.The meeting, if it takes place, will be closely watched as it would be the first between the two leaders since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted and fled to India, where she remains.Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was sworn in as the head of a caretaker government last August, tasked with overseeing the next elections, though no date has been set.Relations between New Delhi and Dhaka have been strained, with India repeatedly raising concerns about attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus.While Bangladesh acknowledged some incidents and claimed to have taken action, it argued that the numbers were exaggerated and that many attacks were politically motivated.The Yunus government has also sought Hasina’s return, to which there has been no response.Adding to the tensions, Yunus recently described Bangladesh as a gateway to India’s “landlocked” northeastern states, a remark that sparked political criticism in India.“The Seven Sisters of India are a landlocked region. They have no way to reach the ocean. We are the only guardian of the ocean for this entire region. This opens up a huge possibility,” Yunus said on March 28 while promoting Bangladesh as an investment hub for Chinese businesses.Responding to the backlash in India, his aide Rahman insisted the remarks were made with “honest intentions” to highlight regional connectivity potential.“He made the statement in good faith. If different interpretations arise, we cannot control them. We can only say that we are committed to providing connectivity for the equitable benefit of all,” Rahman said.Rahman also noted that the chief adviser had made similar comments in 2012.He cited former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s 2023 vision for an industrial value chain connecting Bangladesh and northeast India under the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt initiative.“I have always said connectivity can unlock the region’s potential, especially for those struggling to access the sea. We will not impose connectivity on anyone – we are not in that position. If others accept it, well and good. If they don’t, there is nothing we can do,” Rahman added.
