Why Dinesh Trivedi fits India’s recalibrated Dhaka outreach

A file photo of Dinesh Trivedi By Jayanta Ghosal What will be Dinesh Trivedi’s role as India’s High Commissioner to Dhaka? Why did the central government led by Narendra Modi announce his name for such an important diplomatic post just before the West Bengal Legislative Assembly election? Let us try to understand this decision. To understand it, one must consider a few basic points. First, this is clearly a political appointment. Perhaps for the first time, India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh comes from a political background rather than being a career diplomat. Traditionally, from J. N. Dixit to Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and from Dev Mukherjee to Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, all High Commissioners in Dhaka have been officers of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). Trivedi breaks this tradition. Second, Dinesh Trivedi is not Bengali by birth; he is Gujarati, though he grew up in Kolkata. He speaks fluent Bengali and has a multifaceted personality. His political career has been long and varied. He was earlier associated with the All India Trinamool Congress, and Mamata Banerjee had made him Railway Minister. Later, due to differences, he resigned and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. After joining the BJP, he was not renominated to the Rajya Sabha, but the Prime Minister chose him for the sensitive post of High Commissioner to Bangladesh. Third, some political analysts have linked this appointment to electoral strategy, especially in areas like Bhabanipur where there is a significant Gujarati population. However, this explanation does not fully capture the core reason behind the decision. So what is the real reason? The main reason lies in Trivedi’s relatively neutral image in Bangladesh’s internal politics. Many Bengali leaders, diplomats, and journalists have historically been seen as close to Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League. Similarly, many Congress leaders have had emotional and historical ties with Bangladesh dating back to the Bangladesh Liberation War. Trivedi, however, carries no such “baggage”. The situation in Bangladesh has changed significantly. After Sheikh Hasina stepped down from power, she took refuge in Delhi. Elections followed, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power, with Tarique Rahman (son of Khaleda Zia) becoming Prime Minister. In this altered political landscape, India’s policy has also adapted. India does not want confrontation with the new government; rather, it seeks stable and friendly relations. The key driver behind this is geopolitics. Bangladesh is strategically very important. Amid shifting global power balances, tensions involving the US, Iran, and Israel, and emerging alliances, India must carefully maintain equilibrium. There are trade-related frictions with the US, while Iran remains crucial due to oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.