India appoints Dinesh Trivedi as next high commissioner to Bangladesh

Dinesh Trivedi has been appointed as the next high commissioner of India to Bangladesh.

The diplomat is expected to take up his new assignment in Dhaka shortly, according to a media statement issued by India's Ministry of External Affairs today (27 April).

Trivedi will replace Pranay Verma who will move to Brussels as the Indian ambassador to the European Union.

Earlier on 19 April, the Indian government had earlier decided to send senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Dinesh Trivedi as the next high commissioner to Bangladesh, Hindustan Times reports. 

Trivedi served as Union Minister for Railways and Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare during the UPA regime as a member of the Trinamool Congress. He resigned from the party in 2021 and later joined the BJP.

When contacted earlier that day, a joint secretary-rank official of the Ministry of External Affairs told The Business Standard that the government follows a set procedure in announcing such appointments and would comment in due course.

The likely appointment is seen as a signal from the Modi government that it is open to appointing political leaders as envoys to key countries, rather than limiting such roles to Indian Foreign Service officers.

The report also said that while Dhaka's agreement would be required for Trivedi's posting, the move reflects a message of accountability to diplomats within the Ministry of External Affairs.