New Delhi: Bangladesh summoned the acting Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka on April 30 to protest remarks by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, which it described as “disparaging” to bilateral ties.Bangladeshi media outlets reported that acting high commissioner Pawan Badhe was called to the foreign ministry, where Director General for South Asia Ishrat Jahan handed over a formal note of protest.The move followed at least two public statements by Sarma that circulated widely on Bangladeshi social media.In an interview with ABP News that aired first on April 15, the Assam chief minister said, “I pray to God every morning that the situation that existed during Yunus’s time should remain the same, that relations should not improve further.”In the same interview, when asked whether suspected undocumented individuals of Bangladeshi origin are handed over to Bangladesh through due process, Sarma said that doing so through India’s Ministry of External Affairs is difficult. He said they instead wait until nightfall and push them across the border when no border security personnel are present. Asked what “push back” meant, Sarma said, “It means you take them to a convenient place and practically push them”.On April 25, Sarma posted on X referring to “20 illegal Bangladeshis who were PUSHED BACK last night”.Bangladesh described Sarma’s remarks as “disparaging” to bilateral relations and expressed its displeasure to India, The Daily Star reported.As per Prothom Alo, the foreign ministry conveyed that making public statements without evidence on sensitive bilateral issues is not helpful for relations between the two countries.Further, any unresolved issues should be addressed through international norms and existing bilateral mechanisms, Bangladesh foreign ministry said. It also urged Indian political leaders to refrain from making comments that could affect bilateral ties. Bangladesh rejected Sarma’s claims regarding the alleged pushback of undocumented migrants.Sarma’s remarks on April 15 came just a week after India hosted Bangladesh foreign minister Khalilur Rahman in New Delhi in what was the highest-level bilateral contact since the BNP government took office after the February electionsExternal affairs minister S. Jaishankar met Rahman on April 8 and “reiterated India’s desire to engage constructively with the new Government and further strengthen bilateral ties,” according to the MEA’s readout.Rahman was accompanied by Humayun Kabir, adviser on foreign affairs to the prime minister, and also met national security adviser Ajit Doval and petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri during the visit.Two days after Sarma’s interview aired, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal addressed the question of Sheikh Hasina’s extradition at his weekly briefing on April 17. “The request is being examined as part of ongoing judicial and internal legal processes. We will continue to engage constructively on the issue with all stakeholders,” Jaiswal said.He used the question to re-emphasise that “External Affairs Minister reiterated India’s desire to engage constructively with the new government and further strengthen bilateral ties” and that “the two sides agreed to explore proposals for deepening the partnership through the relevant bilateral mechanisms.”The episode also illustrates the challenges awaiting BJP leader Dinesh Trivedi, whose formal appointment as India’s new high commissioner in Dhaka was made earlier this week.Trivedi is New Delhi’s first political appointee to an ambassadorial post in South Asia in over three decades – the last being historian Bimal Prasad’s appointment as envoy to Nepal in the early 1990s. He replaces Pranay Verma, a career diplomat, who has been appointed ambassador to Belgium and the European Union. Trivedi’s selection has been seen as signalling the political importance India attaches to resetting ties with the BNP government.