Modi may visit Tungipara in March

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may visit Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's memorial in Tungipara during his visit to Bangladesh in March if a proposal under discussion fructifies, diplomatic sources in New Delhi said yesterday.

If the proposal materialises, Modi will be the first Indian PM to pay homage at Bangabandhu's memorial at Tungipara.

The idea of the PM's possible visit is under discussion and no decision has been taken, the sources said.

Modi, who has described Bangabandhu as one of the greatest personalities of the last century, will be visiting Dhaka on March 26 on the occasion of Bangladesh's Independence Day.

The in-person summit between Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to take place on March 27, according to the sources.

The previous in-person interaction between the two leaders had taken place when Hasina was in New Delhi in October 2019 and virtually in December last year.

The officials of the two countries are trying to ensure some "deliverables" during the Indian PM's coming visit to Dhaka in several sectors covering the development partnership and remove some of the major irritants in bilateral ties including the Teesta water-sharing deal.

Detailed discussions on the wide-ranging areas of ongoing cooperation between the two countries as well as the preparations for the visit of Modi to Dhaka in March in connection with the celebration of Mujib Borsho and commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's Independence.

Bangladesh-India diplomatic relations had taken place at yesterday's Foreign Office Consultations co-chaired by Foreign Secretaries Masud bin Momen of Bangladesh and Harsh Vardhan Shringla of India in New Delhi.

They also discussed the joint celebration of the anniversaries in select capitals of the world.