Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of BNP leader Tarique Rahman as Bangladesh’s prime minister, Mandarins in India’s South Bloc are working overtime on the country’s outreach to its eastern neighbour.

For Indian policymakers, the real challenge in resetting ties with Dhaka is not one of intent but of calibration, understanding what is politically feasible in Bangladesh’s new landscape, and what is not.

“We should not think of an immediate reset in ties. It will be a gradual process …However with foreign Secretary travelling to Dhaka for the swearing in ceremony along with Speaker Om Birla, informal talks are likely on the sidelines,” said top officials of the Ministry of External Affairs.

The last one-and-a-half years are seen by South Bloc as “wasted time” on the Bangladesh front as the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus was seen as jeopardising every attempt made at normalising relations.

Pinak Chakravarty, former Secretary-Economic Relations in the Ministry of External Affairs, told UNI, “There will be a incremental improvement in relations. The new PM has to settle in before decisions can be taken.”

Both countries may tackle issues such as “trade, rail connectivity and visas in the first instance, as these produce visible, tangible people-to-people benefits,” added Riva Ganguly Das, former Secretary-East in the MEA.

Tarique Rahman has signalled a clear desire to stabilise relations with India. Throughout his campaign, he refrained from the familiar anti-India rhetoric that has periodically animated Bangladeshi politics.

“Rahman has displayed considerable political maturity both during the campaign and in pronouncements afterwards,” agreed Shantanu Mukharji, former National Security Advisor to Mauritius.

The BNP leader’s advisers have been unusually forthcoming, projecting goodwill and even extending an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The tone, at least rhetorically, has been constructive. Yet rhetoric and governance are two different arenas.

“Tougher issues such as renewal of river water treaty will take time … expectations have to be managed and should not be allowed to reach a high pitch,” said Ganguly Das, who has earlier served as High Commissioner to Bangladesh. For Rahman, moving too quickly or too visibly toward India carries domestic political risk.

Bangladesh has long contained a vocal anti-India constituency, rooted in sections of nationalist politics, Islamist groups, and segments of the urban middle class that perceive India as overbearing.

The electoral presence of the National Citizen Party (NCP), however limited in seats, alongside a strengthened Jamaat, ensures that such voices will remain amplified in Parliament and on the streets.

Any early, high-profile overtures toward New Delhi could invite accusations of capitulation or dependency. “We should, however, not be complacent. We have seen how Jamaat has performed better than ever before, taking virtually all the Parliament seats from districts on India’s border. We need to be careful on the possible regrouping of militants and radicals there,” said Mukharji, a former IPS officer.

However, Chakravarty revealed that talks with Bangladeshi politicians have yielded promises that the country will guard against allowing its soil to be used against India or for terrorist activities.

At the same time, structural imperatives argue for cooperation. “Both governments understand that trade normalisation, travel facilitation, and cross-border connectivity are not optional extras but necessities” said MEA officials.

Bangladesh’s export ambitions and India’s interest in regional integration converge here. Likewise, border management and security coordination remain critical, particularly amid concerns that dormant militant networks could attempt to regroup in transitional political phases.

Confidence-building measures, reopening suspended dialogue mechanisms, easing visa processes, quietly strengthening intelligence cooperation, may precede any grand political gestures.

Symbolism will matter, but sequencing will matter more. Public optics in Dhaka will need careful handling, just as political sensitivities in New Delhi cannot be ignored. Resetting India-Bangladesh ties will not be achieved through dramatic announcements.

“It will be built through small, reciprocal steps that gradually create political space for larger moves,” said Chakravarty.

Both governments appear to understand this. The question is not whether cooperation will occur, it almost certainly will, but how deftly it can be managed in a domestic climate where symbolism is often as powerful as substance.

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