Modi’s Bangkok itinerary excludes meeting with Dr. Yunus

Dhaka’s proposal to arrange a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has gone unanswered by New Delhi.

On Friday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs released a media statement detailing Modi’s schedule for the upcoming BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok, Thailand.

Notably, the statement made no mention of a bilateral meeting with Yunus.

Instead, it highlighted that Modi is scheduled to hold talks with the current BIMSTEC chair, Thai Prime Minister Phatthana Shinawatra.

The sixth summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is set to begin on Apr 4.

Both Modi and Yunus are slated to attend, with Dhaka having sent a message to Delhi hoping for a meeting between the two leaders.

The interim government, still awaiting a response from New Delhi, has suggested that such an encounter could help ease the ongoing “stagnation” in bilateral relations between the neighbouring nations.

“We consider any high-level meeting with any country important, and in the current context of our relation with India, we are giving special attention to this meeting,” Foreign Secretary Jashim Uddin said on Tuesday.

He also highlighted Bangladesh’s preparation for the meeting.

“From our side, we are ready for the meeting, and we are awaiting a positive response from India.”

Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from office on Aug 5, 2024, after a wave of student-led protests.

She left for India that same day.

Three days later, Yunus assumed leadership of an interim government.

Since taking office, Yunus has twice been in proximity to Modi at major international gatherings, but direct talks have not materialised.

The BIMSTEC summit was seen as a possible venue for a breakthrough.

According to officials, Yunus is scheduled to depart Dhaka on Apr 3 for the summit, where he will join regional leaders the following day.

Modi, meanwhile, will meet with Prime Minister Shinawatra in Bangkok on Apr 3 before engaging with other BIMSTEC leaders, including Yunus, in broader discussions.

Initially, the BIMSTEC summit was scheduled for September 2024 but was postponed due to political turmoil in Thailand.

During that period, diplomatic sources suggested that Modi and Yunus could meet, but the plan never progressed.

A similar scenario played out on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session in September.

Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain explained the reason during a press conference on Sept 21, 2024.

“It has been learned that the Indian prime minister will leave New York before Chief Advisor Yunus arrives. Therefore, it seems unlikely that the two will meet there.”

At that time, some Indian media outlets cited “an interview” with Yunus as the reason for the meeting not taking place.

Citing sources familiar with the communication between the two countries, the Hindustan Times said: “In the context of different comments made by Yunus in an interview with an Indian news outlet, it seems that the meeting will not take place. New Delhi did not take Yunus’ remarks well.”

A potential meeting between Yunus and Modi also came up in October 2024, during the Commonwealth Summit in Samoa, but neither leader attended the event.