POBNEWS24, Dhaka Apr 19, 2026 : The new High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh is Dinesh Trivedi, a former MP and former Union Minister of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress party. Dinesh is going to take over this responsibility from the current High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, Prannoy Verma. The Narendra Modi government of India has taken a big decision amidst the election atmosphere in West Bengal.
The current Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, Prannoy Verma, is being sent as India’s Ambassador to the European Union in Brussels. This 75-year-old veteran politician will take over in his place. Although the Center has not yet officially announced anything in this regard. However, according to media reports, this decision has been finalized. If everything goes well, the process of sending Dinesh as the ambassador to Bangladesh will begin after the assembly elections in Bengal.
India-Bangladesh relations are gradually improving under the BNP’s Tarique Rahman government. In this situation, informed circles believe that it is significant to appoint a ‘Bangla-speaking’ politician as the envoy to Delhi.
Dinesh Trivedi, despite being the son of a Gujarati business family, can speak fluent Bengali. According to party sources, he has good relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, long political experience, and a clear understanding of the cultural relationship between Bengalis and Bengal. Perhaps that is why North Block decided to send a political leader to Bangladesh.
Although Dhaka-Delhi relations have been stable for more than a decade, some strategic challenges have arisen recently. Delhi is taking initiatives to reshape relations with Dhaka in the changed circumstances during Tarique Rahman’s tenure. This initiative is possible only if there is an understanding of the political, social, and cultural context of both countries.
Experts say that this appointment is being seen as a ‘reset’ or an initiative to reshape relations in the changed circumstances of Bangladesh.
In India’s diplomatic tradition, experienced IFS (Indian Foreign Service) officers are usually appointed to such important posts. Sending a political figure there means; Strengthening the political message of bilateral relations. Quick decision-making and increasing political understanding. And direct coordination on border, trade and security issues.
Also, a section of former diplomats believe that after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was given asylum in India, a gap in the trust relationship between the two countries has emerged. It cannot be rectified through diplomacy alone. That is why political prudence is also needed. By appointing Dinesh Trivedi as the ambassador, the Indian central government has practically made it clear that the Indian government is appointing experienced and influential people to maintain regional security, bilateral trust and stability. Earlier, former Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag was sent to Seychelles for the same reason.
On the other hand, Dinesh Trivedi is one of the well-known faces of West Bengal state politics. In the face of elections, what political message did Modi send by appointing a political figure from West Bengal to an important post like the ambassador? Such questions have started to arise.
At one time, Dinesh was Mamata Banerjee’s ambassador in New Delhi or in all-India politics. But since 2016, the relationship has gradually deteriorated. Finally, Dinesh left Trinamool and joined BJP before the Ekushey assembly elections.
Dinesh’s political journey began in the eighties. At that time, he was in the Congress. Later, he joined the Janata Dal. He became a Rajya Sabha MP for the first time in 1990. After that, Dinesh joined Trinamool. There he also got the post of Rajya Sabha MP. He contested the election for the first time in 2009.
During that period of the second UPA government, he was the Union Railway Minister as a member of the Trinamool Congress. He also held the position of Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. Although in 2019, he lost to BJP’s Arjun Singh as a Trinamool candidate in that Barrackpore.
Then Trinamool sent him to the Rajya Sabha. Dinesh Trivedi resigned from the Trinamool Congress on February 12, 2021. He joined the BJP on March 6 of that year. This time the central government gave him a big responsibility.
