Rekindling Relations

The Modi-Yunus meeting in Bangkok has sparked optimism in Bangladesh's political and media circles—paving the way for renewed cooperation

- SHANTANU MUKHARJI

It would appear from the media circles in Bangladesh, as well as from several segments of political parties, that Bangladesh has finally heaved a sigh of relief following Yunus's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently in Bangkok. It is perhaps heartening to note a slight change in the tone and tenor of the Bangladesh media, especially in the print press, in the wake of this much-awaited meeting. Leading English daily The Daily Star and the most widely read Bangla daily Prothom Alo have promptly carried editorials and columns welcoming the summit on the sidelines of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) meeting in Bangkok. It is now hoped by Indo-Bangladesh watchers that this stance will be consistently maintained by the Bangladeshi vernacular media to do some damage control by creating a public opinion that is less hostile than the one whipped up over the past eight months, during which anti-India rhetoric had vitiated public sentiment.