Tarique Rahman Oath Ceremony: After the results of the 13th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh, a new government is going to be formed. On February 17 (Tuesday), Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Tariq Rahman will take oath as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. The swearing-in ceremony will begin at 10 am on Tuesday. The Chief Election Commissioner will administer the oath to the new MPs. The President will administer the oath to the ministers at around 4 pm.
BNP chief Tariq Rehman has broken a long-standing tradition, his swearing-in ceremony will be held at the South Plaza of the Parliament complex instead of Banga Bhavan. President Mohammad Shahabuddin will swear in the new cabinet of Bangladesh at the South Plaza of Parliament in the afternoon. The swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet members will be held at the Parliament Secretariat at 4 pm on Tuesday.
India has also received an invitation for the swearing-in ceremony of Tariq Rahman, the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not go to Bangladesh to participate in the swearing-in ceremony. From the Indian side, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will attend the swearing-in ceremony. According to sources, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Lok Sabha General Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh are also likely to be present with Birla. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had congratulated Tariq Rehman after his election victory and expressed commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. At the same time, a day before the swearing-in, i.e. on 16 February (Monday), he resigned from the interim government of Bangladesh.
Under the leadership of Tariq Rehman, BNP won 209 out of 297 seats. Whereas, Jamaat-e-Islami had won 68 seats. Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League was banned from contesting elections.
Relations between India and Bangladesh can get back on track. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, BNP will pursue projects that meet the interests of Bangladesh and will not shy away from deepening the development partnership with India. Not handing over Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh will not hinder building bigger relations including trade and commercial ties. We want to build even better relationships..”
