India PM Modi to miss Tarique’s swearing-in ceremony

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the Feb 17 ceremony in Dhaka

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of BNP chief Tarique Rahman as Bangladesh’s incoming prime minister.

Instead, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the ceremony scheduled for Feb 17, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

Bangladesh had invited Modi along with several regional leaders to attend the oath-taking of the new government following the BNP’s victory in the Feb 12 parliamentary election.

However, Modi will not attend due to his scheduled participation in the AI Impact Summit, New Delhi said.

The BNP secured a two-thirds majority in the recently concluded election and is set to assume office from the interim administration led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus.

Modi spoke with Tarique by phone on Friday, congratulating him on what he described as a “remarkable victory” in the parliamentary election.

“I conveyed my best wishes and support in his endeavour to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh,” Modi said after the call.

“As two close neighbours with deep-rooted historical and cultural ties, I reaffirmed India’s continued commitment to the peace, progress, and prosperity of both our peoples,” he added.