No country wishes Bangladesh well more than India, says Jaishankar

India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said no country wishes Bangladesh well more than India, while expressing concern over the rise of radical rhetoric and recent developments in the neighbouring country.

Speaking at the second day of the Rising Bharat Summit 2025 in New Delhi's Bharat Mandapam on Wednesday (9 April), Jaishankar emphasised the people-centric nature of India-Bangladesh relations and reiterated India's support for peace, stability, and democracy in the country.

"No other country wishes well for Bangladesh more than India," he said, adding, "That's in our DNA. And as a well-wisher, as a friend, I think we hope that they go the right way and do the right thing."

His remarks follow a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh's interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand last week. That was the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August last year amid political unrest.

During that meeting, Modi reportedly conveyed four key messages to Yunus — stressing the need to avoid inflammatory rhetoric, ensuring the safety of religious minorities, supporting a democratic and progressive Bangladesh, and promoting constructive dialogue.

Jaishankar echoed similar sentiments on Wednesday, stating, "I think the main messages from our side, which came out at the meeting, one, that our relationship with Bangladesh, for historical reasons, is very unique. It's very fundamentally a people-to-people connection, much more so perhaps than any other relationship that I can think of. And that's what we need to recognise."

"Secondly, we have concerns about the rhetoric which is coming out of people in Bangladesh. We have concerns about the radicalising tendencies we see. We have concerns about the attacks on minorities. And I think we were very open about sharing those concerns," he added. 

The Indian foreign minister also stressed the importance of holding elections to uphold democratic principles in Bangladesh. 

"As a country which has a democratic tradition, democracies require elections. That's how mandates are given and mandates are renewed. So we hope that they go down that path," Jaishankar said.

Meanwhile, Bangladeshi media reported that the meeting between Modi and Yunus was initiated by Dhaka as part of efforts to repair strained ties after India expressed concern about recent attacks on minority communities.

The meeting also followed Yunus's visit to China, where his remarks describing India's Northeast as "landlocked" and suggesting that Bangladesh was the "guardian of ocean access" for the region sparked controversy and drew criticism across Indian states in the region.

Following the meeting, Prime Minister Modi wrote in a statement, "I reiterated India's support for peace, stability, inclusivity, and democracy in Bangladesh. Discussed measures to prevent illegal border crossings and expressed our serious concern for the safety and well-being of Hindus and other minorities."