Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday (February 17) met the newly elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh Tariq Rahman and handed him a personal congratulatory letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Om Birla, along with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, attended Rehman’s swearing-in ceremony on behalf of the Government of India. The Lok Sabha Speaker also met the President of Maldives, Prime Minister of Bhutan and other leaders.
Tariq Rehman got invitation to come to Delhi
The Lok Sabha Speaker posted on X and said, ‘A fruitful meeting was concluded with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tariq Rahman. I handed over PM Modi’s personal letter to him, in which PM Modi invited Tariq Rehman to visit India as soon as possible.
Regarding the meeting with Tariq Rehman, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said, ‘I extended hearty congratulations on behalf of the people of India and reiterated my commitment to further strengthen the lasting partnership between our two neighboring countries.’ Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Riyaz Hamidullah said, ‘Om Birla extended good wishes from India and invited him to visit the country. Both the leaders expressed hope to work together on people-centric cooperation policies for the welfare of the people of Bangladesh and India.
Mohammad Yunus’ tenure ends
With Tariq Rahman taking oath as Prime Minister, the 18-month-long rule of the Mohammad Yunus-led interim government ended, during which there was a situation of political uncertainty and anarchy in Bangladesh. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla represented India at the swearing-in ceremony held in the open premises of South Plaza of Jatiya Sangsad in the presence of top political and military leadership of Bangladesh. After taking oath, Tariq Rehman signed the document containing oath of office and secrecy.
Many leaders of South Asia were present at the swearing in.
Tariq Rehman has become Prime Minister for the first time and his tenure will be for 5 years. Dhaka’s relations with New Delhi deteriorated significantly during the reign of Mohammad Yunus. Bangladesh President Shahabuddin also administered oath to 25 ministers and 24 ministers of state at the ceremony. Many leaders of neighboring countries including India and Pakistan were present in this program.
