Indian envoy to Bangladesh holds talks with BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman ahead of polls – Firstpost

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma, held talks with the newly appointed Chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Tarique Rahman, on Saturday. According to The Dhaka Tribune, the meeting took place a day after the party formally elected him to the position.

According to the spokesperson of the media cell of the BNP, Sayrul Kabir Khan, noted that the meeting was a “courtesy call” that lasted for approximately 40 minutes. It is pertinent to note that Rahman has been the acting chairman of the BNP since 2018. He was formally appointed as the party supremo after the death of the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Khaleda Zia.

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The BNP emerged as the leading force in Bangladesh’s political landscape ahead of the February 12 elections. Interestingly, Jamaat-e-Islami, the party’s traditional ally, is now seen as a principal rival. The elections would be watched closely since they will be contested without the participation of the Awami League, the party of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

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How India is looking at Rahman’s return

Following the July protests, the pro-India Awami League has been barred from contesting in the upcoming polls, with the party’s supremo and former Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina living in New Delhi.

India’s next top option to maintain cordial ties with Bangladesh could be BNP, since the alternatives include radical Islamists running amok and spewing anti-India hate under interim chief Muhammad Yunus.

Hence, India is seeing BNP as a more liberal and democratic party despite the fact that in the past, the party was known to have strained ties with New Delhi. In the midst of this, the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP), another player in the polls, has alleged that the BNP was inducting Awami League members.

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