Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : Why is Om Birla representing India in Dhaka instead of Jaishankar or Doval? and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
Both would have had the added benefit of meeting other heads of government on the sidelines. Sending the Lok Sabha speaker, therefore, appears to have been a wasted opportunity.
Then again, the choice of Om Birla may have been a signal by the prime minister and the BJP that the no-confidence resolution against him was of no consequence; but then, to use an international platform to score a point in domestic politics also appears casual and inconsequential. It does, however, make sense if the government plans to have the speaker make the dramatic and grand gesture of resigning and inducting him into the government as a minister.
From a protocol standpoint, the invitation was extended to the prime minister, so any representative should ideally be of comparable executive rank. The speaker, not part of the government’s executive, is arguably an unsuitable delegate and likely ranked lower than peer leaders from Maldives or Bhutan, potentially diluting India’s stature at the event.
A delegation led by Jaishankar, Doval, or foreign secretary Vikram Misri would have underscored India’s commitment to rebooting relations with Bangladesh and indicated the seriousness New Delhi attaches to its neighbourhood diplomacy.