High Commissioner designate Dinesh Trivedi arrives in Bangladesh by road, to assume charge from Pranay Verma

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Benapole : The newly appointed High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, arrived in the country on Friday morning through the Benapole land port. This marks the formal commencement of his diplomatic assignment.

Upon his arrival at the border checkpoint, Trivedi was received by Indian Deputy High Commissioner Pawan Badhe. He is slated to take over the diplomatic mission from the outgoing High Commissioner, Pranay Verma.

The Ministry of External Affairs had initially announced Trivedi’s appointment as the next envoy to Dhaka on April 27. Following this, he formally received his Letters of Credence from President Droupadi Murmu on June 5.

A veteran politician, Trivedi brings significant administrative experience to the role. He has served as Union Minister for Railways and Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in the Manmohan Singh-led government. He has also represented West Bengal in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. Moreover, he was elected from the Barrackpore constituency from 2009 to 2019.

Recognised for his legislative contributions, Trivedi was honoured with the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for 2016-17. Furthermore, he has chaired several parliamentary forums, including the Indo-European Union Parliamentary Forum. He later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2021 after resigning from the All India Trinamool Congress.

This high-profile political appointment comes at a crucial juncture. India and Bangladesh actively look to further ties across several strategic sectors.

Ahead of assuming charge in Dhaka, Trivedi visited Netaji Bhavan in Kolkata on Thursday. During the visit, he expressed confidence that India and Bangladesh would continue to strengthen their ties. He attributed this to shared aspirations, democratic values, and people-to-people connections.

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Speaking to ANI, he said the occasion held deep personal significance for him. He had grown up in the neighbourhood and had been influenced by the ideals of Subhas Chandra Bose.

“I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve grown up in this area. Just about 400 yards from this place is my house, where I have spent my childhood. We have grown up with the emotions of Netaji and all the values which we have inculcated are thanks to Netaji, and there cannot be anything better for me than to come at Netaji Bhavan,” Trivedi said.

Emphasising the close relationship between India and Bangladesh, he noted that the two countries share bonds. These bonds go beyond geographical boundaries.

“We are not only connected with borders. We are connected with the people of Bangladesh and their dreams. We have a common dream, the common dream of democracy. So not only 140 crore people of India, but I add another 20 crore people of Bangladesh. Whatever is good for 160 crore people, I’m sure Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the people of this country and the people of Bangladesh will bless me to make sure that we are together and successful in what we are going to achieve,” he added.

The groundwork for his tenure also included high-level security consultations. Last month, Trivedi met Chief of Army Staff Upendra Dwivedi to align diplomatic and security goals. According to the Indian Army, those discussions focused on strengthening India-Bangladesh defence ties, border security, and enhancing military-to-military engagement.

(ANI)

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