New Delhi, May 13 -- India - particularly its eastern state of West Bengal - and Bangladesh represent one of South Asia's most complex and sensitive regional relationships. Rooted in common history, language and culture, the relationship has increasingly been shaped by diverging political trajectories - often described in popular discourse as the "Islamisation" of Bangladesh and the "Hinduisation" of West Bengal. While such labels are politically charged and often oversimplified, they reflect shifts in domestic political narratives that influence bilateral engagement.

Beyond identity politics, however, economic interdependence, water-sharing disputes - especially the Teesta issue - border management, and geopolitical alignments remain th...