India, April 19 -- In a significant development, the Narendra Modi government has decided to send former Union Minister and Barrackpore MP, now a BJP leader, Dinesh Trivedi, as India's High Commissioner to Bangladesh. As a first political appointee in the neighbourhood after a long time, Trivedi will replace career diplomat Pranay Verma, who moves to Brussels as the Indian ambassador to the EU.

While agreement will be sought from the Tarique Rahman government in Dhaka for Trivedi, the decision to send a 75-year-old veteran politician as India's envoy to Bangladesh is also a message of accountability to the Ministry of External Affairs' diplomats.

Trivedi was a Union Minister for Railways and Minister of State for Health and Family Welfa...