This article covers the political relationship between India and Bangladesh: its historical foundation, India's recognition of Bangladesh in 1971, and the high-level exchanges that followed Bangladesh's general elections in February 2026. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) brief on India-Bangladesh relations, stated to be as on 30 July 2026.
Historical foundation
According to the MEA brief of July 2026, India and Bangladesh share bonds of history, language, culture and a multitude of other commonalities. The brief states that bilateral relations rest on a historical foundation on the values of shared sacrifices and martyrdom during the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971.
India was amongst the first countries to recognise Bangladesh as an independent country, on 6 December 1971. That date is celebrated as Maitri Diwas.
The brief describes the relations as rooted in the positive inter-dependencies created over the decades.
Exchanges after the February 2026 elections
Following the victory of BNP in the general elections held on 12 February 2026, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was, according to the brief, one of the first world leaders to congratulate the Chairman of BNP, Mr. Tarique Rahman. On 13 February 2026, PM Modi congratulated Tarique Rahman by telephone and conveyed support to his endeavour to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh. The brief records this as the first tele-conversation by Tarique Rahman with a foreign leader following the elections.
The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla, visited Dhaka to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new government on 17 February 2026. He handed over a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveying his greetings to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and inviting him to pay a state visit to India.
In a separate meeting on the margins of the swearing-in ceremony, Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri had a courtesy meeting with the leader of opposition of Bangladesh and Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman.
Earlier exchanges
On 31 December 2025, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar attended the funeral of former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Begum Khaleda Zia. He handed over a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mr Tarique Rahman, then Acting Chairman of BNP, and conveyed the deepest condolences on behalf of the Government and people of India.
Visit by the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, April 2026
On 7-8 April 2026, Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman and the Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir visited India before attending the Indian Ocean Conference in Mauritius. They held meetings with the External Affairs Minister, the National Security Advisor and the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
The External Affairs Minister also met Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman briefly on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Manila.