For the world's most populous democracy India, having to endorse a one-sided election and one-party governance is particularly embarrassing. "India is going the US way -- democracy at home and support for dictatorships abroad for strategic considerations," said former intelligence official Benu Ghosh. But will India miss its trusted friends, the old guard in the Hasina cabinet, almost all of whom were missing from the list of candidates after distribution of ticket? If India has to re-build bridges with the new incumbents in the Hasina cabinet, many of them known for their leaning towards Beijing as a counterweight to New Delhi, then it will be of concern to India. Bangladesh could well be the last nail in India's neighbourhood coffin after pro-Chinese regimes have taken over the South Asian landscape from Nepal to Maldives.

Source: bd News24 January 09, 2024 15:27 UTC