India’s regional approach is lagging and is not being able to deliver its desired outcome. After Maldivian President Muhammad Muizu’s victory based on an India Out campaign and Nepal’s resentment due to the controversial mural installed in the Indian parliament, Bangladesh has become another case of growing anti-India sentiments in the region.

India has boasted its so-called ‘neighbourhood policy’ which attempts to dominate neighbouring states in its desire to act as a regional hegemon. However, the events that unfolded on August 5 in Dhaka demonstrate that these neighbouring states reject this kind of politics of dominance by India.

Sheikh Hasina, a close friend of India and Bangladesh’s ruler for the past 15 years, was ousted from power by student protesters who flooded the streets of Dhaka for weeks demanding civil service quotas. After her drastic death-dealing orders that killed 450 people, Hasina was forced to flee to India on a helicopter as protesters stormed her residence. This was a ‘nightmare for New Delhi’, say Indian analysts.

Historically, India has maintained an overbearing influence on Bangladesh since it provoked the dismemberment of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1971. India maintained its supremacy over its ties with Sheikh........

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