India, Jan. 5 -- The tension in India-Bangladesh ties has found a new playfield in cricket. A vicious campaign by the Hindu Right-wing against the participation of Bangladesh cricketers in the IPL, has been successful in forcing the hand of the BCCI, which asked Kolkata Knight Riders to terminate the contract with Mustafizur Rahman, a star Bangladesh player. The Bangladesh Cricket Board, in turn, has decided to not travel to India for the T20 World Cup matches, scheduled in February, and has asked for them to be shifted to a "secure and appropriate" venue, claiming India is unsafe for its players. This is unfortunate. New Delhi should not let cricketing ties with Dhaka go south, for Bangladesh is not Pakistan. India has always trusted bilateral ties to stay above the chaos of Bangladesh politics, considering the deep social and cultural ties between the two countries - one reason why New Delhi has shown restraint in the face of polarising statements from the current regime in Dhaka. The presence of external affairs minister S Jaishankar at Khaleda Zia's funeral even though her tenure as Bangladesh PM marked a low point in ties suggests India's keenness to leave the past behind and build bridges with the new Bangladesh. The campaign against cricketers threatens to undo such efforts. Framing ties with neighbouring States through the prism of the Hindu-Muslim binary is a fraught project. The violence in Bangladesh, including the attacks on minorities, is rooted in local politics and must be discussed in that framework. Non-State parties must not be allowed to dictate the discourse on a nuanced negotiation, best left to seasoned diplomats and top political leadership can cause lasting damage to India's strategic interests and global image....