Hindutva diplomacy

India's once-strong relationship with Bangladesh is teetering after a series of missteps by New Delhi, driven largely by inherent bigotry and the influence of Hindutva ideology over policymaking. The recent decision to exclude Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League is the latest such flashpoint, and yet another attempt to politicise cricket following a familiar playbook used against Pakistan. Despite India's key role in Bangladesh's separation from Pakistan, decades of goodwill developed based on that assistance have now been swept away as New Delhi repeatedly abused its strategic advantages in the relationship with Dhaka.

The latest sorry chapter is also a reflection of this, as second-tier Indian leadership — and a few top leaders — have regularly used misinformation and exaggeration to highlight the "difficulties" facing Hindus in Bangladesh, even though reputable international rights bodies have all concluded that while there have been sporadic acts of violence targeting Hindus, an overwhelming majority of violent incidents are politically motivated and have nothing to do with the victims' religion. The victims were mostly affiliated directly or indirectly with former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, whose criminal reign of terror led to her ouster and violence against her supporters, irrespective of religion. That may be little consolation for the victims' families, but it is proof that Indian leaders — many of whom regularly call for abusing their own Muslim and Christian citizens — are bad-faith actors.

Unfortunately for India, Bangladesh has also been forging closer ties with China — the only country in the region that is bigger, richer and better armed than India. If New Delhi continues to craft policies based on the rants of Hindu ideologues instead of seasoned diplomats, it can expect Bangladesh to also move firmly into the China camp, leaving India surrounded by potentially hostile nations that all have weapons that proved to be superior to anything India possesses during the disastrous Operation Sindoor campaign.