Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to visit Bangladesh on March 26 and 27.
“This visit is in connection with the commemoration of three epochal events – Mujib Borsho, the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh; and 50 years of Bangladesh’s war of liberation”, according to a press release by the Ministry of External Affairs.
PM Modi had last visited Bangladesh in 2015.
During the visit, PM Modi will attend the National Day programme of Bangladesh on March 26, as the guest of honour.
While in Bangladesh, Modi plans to visit Rahman’s memorial in Tungipara, also called the Bangabandhu memorial.
He will also pay respect to Harichand Thakur at his shrine in Orakandi. Thakur was the founder of the Matua tradition. Members of the Matua community hold significance in the upcoming polls in West Bengal. After the Partition-related violence in 1947 and the subsequent persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh, many of the Matuas migrated to West Bengal. An estimated two or three crore people from the community are spread out over North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Nadia and smaller parts of Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Cooch Behar and Bardhaman. Matuas have been influential in deciding the fate of candidates in 30 assembly seats in Bengal.
PM Modi is also likely to visit “Sugandha Shaktipith” (Satipith) temple in Shikarpur in Barishal district.
If time permits, Modi will also visit the ancestral homes of Rabindranath Tagore and revolutionary freedom fighter Bagha Jatin.
Modi will also hold bilateral talks with Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during his visit and call on Bangladeshi President Md. Abdul Hamid. Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, will also meet PM Modi.
This is Modi’s first visit to a foreign country since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.