Modi wants Tarique Rahman's proposed India visit to be memorable, envoy says

India has signalled a warm reception for Tarique Rahman's proposed visit to New Delhi. The outreach aims to steady strained ties and deepen trade, trust and people-to-people links.Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants his Bangladeshi counterpart Tarique Rahman's proposed visit to India to be “memorable”, Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi has said, adding that closer engagement between the two leaders would benefit people and businesses in both countries.His remarks came at a time of uncertainty over Rahman's proposed visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit on September 12-13, with bilateral ties under fresh strain over Dhaka's demand for the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina.Speaking at a reception hosted by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka on Tuesday for leading Bangladeshi business leaders and a visiting delegation of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Trivedi said Modi had conveyed that the two leaders needed to meet and assured that Rahman would receive an appropriate welcome during his visit to India. The remarks were reported by news portal tbsnews.net.“Prime Minister Modi just mentioned one thing. We need to meet. And you can tell them on my behalf that you have the prime minister of India's assurance that when the honourable prime minister of Bangladesh visits India, he will have such an honourable reception as he deserves,” he said. Trivedi said Modi wanted Rahman's visit to be “memorable” and said stronger ties between the two leaders would help both neighbours. “Ultimately, the benefit will go to people and businesses. Business people all over the world have a big role to play in bridging this gap,” he said.He said the two countries should address past differences while looking ahead. “I am not telling that you forget the past, but keep the past and sort out the differences of the past. But move on. Don't get stagnant,” he said. Trivedi added that differences are natural between “vibrant democracies” and could be addressed through dialogue and engagement. “We deeply understand the concerns of brothers and sisters of Bangladesh. Definitely, there are concerns. But this is a partnership of equals,” Trivedi said. He added that trust would be essential for a durable relationship, saying, “The foundation of any long-lasting relation is mutual and unconditional trust.”Highlighting India's “Neighbourhood First” policy, Trivedi said the two countries had gone through “hiccups” but should not allow differences to weaken the broader relationship. “We have shared history, we have shared culture, and this is where we need to foster,” he said.Referring to the younger generation in Bangladesh, he said India wanted to work with the “new Bangladesh” to create greater opportunities for its youth. “This is a new Bangladesh. And this new Bangladesh has the youth. And youth has also gone through a lot of struggles and a lot of sacrifice. So, our objective obviously [is] to have peace and prosperity and the youth must get that opportunity,” he said.Trivedi said India and Bangladesh shared history, culture and aspirations and should build on these commonalities. “We don't only share border, we share dreams, we share aspirations and equality,” he said, underlining the importance of people-to-people relations. He also called for greater involvement of businesses in strengthening bilateral ties, saying the private sector had an important role in creating employment and economic opportunities.He urged Indian and Bangladeshi companies to work together to expand trade and investment and contribute to a new phase in bilateral relations. The CII delegation is visiting Dhaka to explore opportunities for expanding trade, investment and industrial cooperation between the two countries. Trivedi said stronger economic and people-to-people ties could help create greater understanding and support efforts to build a more stable and mutually beneficial relationship.Rahman's proposed India visit has gained importance amid the recent deterioration in ties following Hasina's virtual media interaction from New Delhi on August 5. Bangladesh expressed outrage over the interaction, saying it had hurt the sentiments of its people and could adversely affect efforts to improve ties with India. The Ministry of External Affairs said it had no role in the media event concerning Hasina and does not endorse anything said at the forum about the Bangladesh government.Hasina was ousted in August 2024 after violent student-led protests and fled to India. In November 2025, she was sentenced to death in absentia by a special tribunal in Bangladesh over alleged “crimes against humanity” during the crackdown on protesters. Dhaka has since been seeking her extradition from India, while New Delhi has said the request is under examination in line with applicable law and established legal procedures. Against this backdrop, Trivedi's remarks underlined India's message that dialogue, trust and stronger business and people-to-people ties remain central to the relationship.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 19, 2026 09:46 IST