Bangladesh President to attend Narendra Modi’s swearing-in on 3-day India visit

A file picture of Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid with Prime Minister Narendra Modi prior to a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will not be able to represent Bangladesh at her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi’s swearing-in as she will be on a three-nation foreign visit, said officials

Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid will attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony on May 30 during his three-day visit to India, a top presidential palace official said on May 28.

Liberation War Affairs Minister A.K.M. Mozammel Huq will accompany the President as the senior-most Cabinet member of the Bangladesh government, officials said.

For a second time, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will not be able to represent Bangladesh at her Indian counterpart Modi’s swearing-in as she will be on a three-nation foreign visit, the officials said.

She could not attend the previous swearing-in ceremony of Mr. Modi in 2014 as she was abroad then too.

Last time, Parliament Speaker Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury attended Mr. Modi’s swearing-in.

A Bangabhaban presidential palace spokesman said, “The senior-most member of the current Cabinet, Liberation War Affairs Minister A.K.M. Mozammel Huq, will accompany the Honourable President during his three-day India visit from May 29 to 31.”

During his visit, the President would pay a courtesy call on his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind, Mr. Hamid’s press secretary Joynal Abedin said.

Ms. Hasina overnight rescheduled a 12-day tri-nation overseas tour without a 12-hour stopover in New Delhi where she was expected to have a meeting with her counterpart Mr. Modi on June 8.

Mr. Modi on May 23 led his Bharatiya Janata Party to a landmark victory for a second five-year term in office, winning 303 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha.

Ms. Hasina was one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate Mr. Modi following his election victory, reflecting the “extraordinarily close and cordial ties” between India and Bangladesh, and the excellent rapport that the two leaders enjoy.

She also spoke to Mr. Modi on May 23 and said this “emphatic verdict is a reflection of the trust and confidence reposed on you by the people of the world’s largest democracy”.