India won’t go public so calls Bangladesh envoy

Sibal is said to have reiterated Delhi’s view about the growing anti-Indian insurgency in Bangladesh, pointing out that Dhaka had been apprised about this before Sinha went public in Parliament. He was reacting to Dhaka’s statement denying the charges and saying that the business of government should not be conducted in the media.

New Delhi seems to have come around to the position that it would be impolitic to continue with the public criticism of Dhaka. The Foreign Office has noted that Sheikh Hasina has been accused of ‘‘treason’’ by hardline elements in Dhaka only because she happened to be here at the exact time Sinha made his statements in Parliament and she did not robustly condemn them.

Over the next few months, then, the bilateral engagement is expected to intensify. A meeting of the water resources secretaries will take place this month, followed by foreign office consultations early next year. The trade talks are expected to be a highlight of the engagement.