After pulling off a sweeping victory in the February 12 polls, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is hoping for “reset and recalibration” of ties with India.
Speaking exclusively to StratNews Global, the party’s senior leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, said, “In our relationship with India there is going to be a reset, we are hoping. India is our largest neighbour and our next-door neighbour.”
“We hope that there will be a reset in our relationship. I am sure Indian leaders are recalibrating their position, so are we. I hope it works out well for both sides,” added Khasru, Chair, foreign relations committee of BNP and Member of its standing committee.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Dhaka on Tuesday, he has declined since he will be busy with the visit of French President Macron. Foreign Secretary Misri and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent him.
“We need a democratic country where there will be democracy and a new order and people will have an elected Parliament where the government will be accountable to them. That is the Bangladesh we want to see,” the senior leader, who is also a former commerce minister, told StratNews Global.
Khasru said the BNP follows the “principle of multilateralism … We don’t have country-centric policy as such… Our policy with every country follows the basic principles of mutual respect, mutual interest, non-interference and strategic autonomy for Bangladesh.”
Earlier this week, Rahman said, “Now it is time to build the nation. In this journey of rebuilding the country, each and every one of us must play a responsible role. We have celebrated this victory of democracy and human rights peacefully and with dignity… Our position is clear.
“Peace and order must be maintained at any cost. No wrongdoing or unlawful activity will be tolerated. Regardless of party, religion, race, or differing opinions, under no circumstances will attacks by the strong against the weak be accepted.”
Modi was among the first world leaders to congratulate Rahman, who was in exile in the United Kingdom for 17 years. He returned to Bangladesh on 25 December, 2025 to a resounding welcome, which has now been translated into him winning a landslide victory.
On February 13, Modi and Rahman held a phone-call for the first time since Rahman’s win.
“As two close neighbours with deep-rooted historical and cultural ties, I reaffirmed India’s continued commitment to the peace, progress, and prosperity of both our peoples,” PM Modi said on social media.
