Om Birla meets Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman, delivers PM Modi’s congratulatory letter

• Om Birla met new Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman in Dhaka
• Rahman sworn in after 17 years in exile, ending interim rule
• India signals intent to reset ties with Bangladesh's new govt

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Om Birla on Tuesday met Bangladesh’s newly sworn-in Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and handed over a personal congratulatory letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, signalling New Delhi’s intent to reset ties with Dhaka’s new leadership.

In a post on X, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riaz Hamidullah said Rahman conveyed greetings to India and Modi during a courtesy meeting held soon after the swearing-in of the new government.

🇧🇩Prime Minister, H E @trahmanbnp, conveys his greetings to India and PM Hon. @narendramodi to the visiting 🇮🇳 @loksabhaspeaker, H E @ombirlakota, at courtesy meet following swearing-in of the new Government. Hon Speaker conveyed wishes from 🇮🇳 & Invitation to India. Both leaders… pic.twitter.com/Rp3rc0pry2

— Riaz Hamidullah (@hamidullah_riaz) February 17, 2026

He added that Birla extended India’s best wishes and an invitation, with both sides expressing optimism about strengthening people-centric cooperation between the two nations.

Birla, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, attended the swearing-in ceremony on behalf of the Indian government. Earlier, interim government chief Muhammad Yunus had invited Modi to attend the event, but the Prime Minister declined due to prior commitments, including the visit to India of French President Emmanuel Macron and the Artificial Intelligence Summit in Delhi.

Rahman, a senior leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and former President Ziaur Rahman, was sworn in as Bangladesh’s Prime Minister after nearly 18 months of political uncertainty under the interim administration.

In a departure from tradition, President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath at the South Plaza instead of the customary venue of Bangabhaban.

Rahman returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in self-imposed exile in London, marking his first term in office. He succeeds Yunus, who had taken charge in August 2024 following the collapse of the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina. Relations between Dhaka and New Delhi had cooled during the interim period.

Earlier in the day, BNP lawmakers elected Rahman as leader of their parliamentary party. At the swearing-in ceremony, President Shahabuddin also administered the oath to 25 cabinet ministers and 24 state ministers. Representatives from neighbouring countries, including India and Pakistan, attended the event.

The new cabinet includes two members from minority communities — BNP vice president Nitai Roy Chowdhury, a Hindu, and Dipen Dewan, a Buddhist. In a surprise move, outgoing interim regime security adviser Khalilur Rahman was inducted as a technocrat minister, while several senior BNP leaders were left out.

In the February 12 general elections, the BNP secured 209 of 297 seats, while Jamaat-e-Islami won 68. The Awami League did not contest the polls, which followed months of unrest and student-led protests in August 2024 that led to the fall of the previous government.