The Government of India has appointed Dinesh Trivedi as its new High Commissioner to Bangladesh. This decision has been taken at a time when talks are going on between India and Bangladesh on many important issues and both the countries are trying to keep their relations balanced and strong.
This appointment of former Union Railway Minister and senior BJP leader Dinesh Trivedi is also considered politically important. Especially keeping in mind the politics of West Bengal, it is being considered as a strategic move of BJP, which can impact the upcoming election equations.
Journey from TMC to BJP
Dinesh Trivedi’s political career has gone through many important turns. Before joining BJP, he was among the prominent leaders of Trinamool Congress and became the Railway Minister in the United Progressive Alliance government from the same party’s quota. However, later he distanced himself from TMC and joined BJP in the year 2021.
New appointments and diplomatic changes
Dinesh Trivedi will now take over as the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh in place of Prannoy Verma. Prannoy Verma is now being sent to Brussels, where he will take charge as India’s Ambassador to the European Union. This change is being considered a part of India’s diplomatic strategy.
Bangladesh politics and relations with India
Political changes in Bangladesh in recent years have also affected relations with India. After Sheikh Hasina was removed from power, a new government was formed under the leadership of Mohammad Yunus. During this period, incidents of violence against the Hindu community came to light, which increased the tension in the relations between the two countries. India-Bangladesh relations have again shown signs of improvement with Tariq Rahman becoming Prime Minister after the recently held general elections.
Minister posts and controversies in UPA government
During the UPA regime, Dinesh Trivedi, apart from being the Railway Minister, also served as the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. But the proposal to increase passenger fare during the Railway Budget in 2012 created a big political controversy. Mamata Banerjee strongly opposed this decision and ultimately Trivedi had to resign from his post. Later, Mukul Roy was made the Railway Minister in his place.
Entry in BJP and Bengal elections
Dinesh Trivedi resigned from TMC on 12 February 2021 and joined BJP on 6 March 2021. Assembly elections were also held in West Bengal in the same year, where many TMC leaders switched to BJP. However, BJP won only 77 seats and Mamata Banerjee once again became the Chief Minister.
Who is Dinesh Trivedi?
Dinesh Trivedi, born on 4 June 1950, was an MP from Barrackpore Lok Sabha seat of West Bengal from 2009 to 2019. Apart from this, he has also been a Rajya Sabha MP during 1990-96 and 2002-08. His political experience and administrative understanding can now play an important role as India’s representative in Bangladesh.