India on Tuesday refused to be drawn into a fresh debate over former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s August 5 press interaction in New Delhi, saying its position on the controversial event “needs no repetition”, even as Dhaka sought to link Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s proposed visit to India with action on Hasina’s extradition request.Responding to the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry’s assertion that the proposed visit had been “vitiated” by Hasina’s interaction, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India continued to seek “positive, constructive and forward-looking relations” with Bangladesh based on “mutuality of interests and reciprocity”.“Our position on the press conference by former PM needs no repetition,” Jaiswal said.On Dhaka’s demand for Hasina’s extradition, he said India’s “consistent position” was that such requests were being examined as part of the country’s “established processes”.The carefully worded response came two days after Bangladesh said the August 5 interaction had disrupted weeks of efforts to facilitate Rahman’s proposed visit to India, effectively confirming The Tribune’s August 14 report that Dhaka had made the visit conditional on New Delhi acting on Hasina’s extradition request.Bangladesh Foreign Ministry spokesperson AKM Shahidul Karim said officials of the two countries had been in contact for several weeks over Rahman’s possible visit, but the process was “vitiated” by Hasina’s open press interaction in New Delhi.“We have made our position clear on this matter,” Karim said, adding that Dhaka believed a “propitious environment” needed to be created for the visit.Karim also said Bangladesh had asked India to “expeditiously” act on its request for Hasina’s extradition and the extradition of other fugitives, besides handing over those accused of killing Bangladeshi political activist Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi, in accordance with the bilateral extradition treaty.The latest exchange underlines the growing difficulty for New Delhi and Dhaka in insulating the broader bilateral relationship from the politically sensitive issue of Hasina, who fled Bangladesh in August 2024 and has since remained in India.The August 5 virtual interaction involving Hasina and her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, has emerged as a fresh irritant at a time when the two countries are attempting to repair ties. Hasina defended her record in office and criticised the present dispensation in Dhaka, while Joy alleged growing Pakistani intelligence influence in Bangladesh and questioned the release of convicted Islamist militants.Dhaka reacted sharply to the interaction, accusing Hasina of making remarks that hurt public sentiment and undermined efforts to reset bilateral ties. It also renewed its demand for her extradition under the 2013 India-Bangladesh extradition treaty.New Delhi had sought to distance itself from the event. On August 7, Jaiswal said the Government of India had “no role” in the press interaction, which was organised by a private media entity, and that the government did not endorse the remarks made on the platform, particularly those concerning the Bangladesh government.That clarification, however, did not prevent the episode from becoming a fresh stumbling block in efforts to restore political engagement between the two neighbours.India had separately invited Rahman for a bilateral visit soon after he assumed office in February. His invitation to attend the BRICS outreach session in New Delhi on September 12-13 was distinct and was extended in his capacity as BIMSTEC Chair, in keeping with the established practice of inviting heads of regional organisations.