Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Nepal counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal have been confirmed to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ANI reported citing sources.
Both prime ministers had earlier greeted Modi for the performance of the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) performance in the 18th Lok Sabha elections.
Modi had talked to Dahal, popularly known as Prachanda over the phone. In this regard, an official was quoted by the agency as saying, “An invitation was extended to Nepal PM by PM Modi during Wednesday's phone conversation.”
“During Wednesday evening telephonic conversation between two leaders, invitation was extended to Nepal PM for attendance in the swearing in ceremony. Nepal Prime Minister also confirmed the attendance. Formal announcement will be made soon,” added the senior official.
Meanwhile, the speechwriter for Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, M Nazrul Islam was quoted by ANI as saying, “Prime Minister Hasina is departing tomorrow from Dhaka to Delhi to participate in the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after receiving an invitation from him.”
Hasina will leave Dhaka on a special flight scheduled for the afternoon and will be in the national capital until the afternoon of June 9. “While such a meeting has not been confirmed yet, the delegations accompanying the leaders will be very small,” said Islam when asked about the possibilities of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the ceremony.
Sheikh Hasina also secured a victory in the Bangladesh national elections recently after which she stressed on building a strong relationship with India. She stated, “India is our tested and loyal neighbour, and we have a good relationship between India and Bangladesh.”
The visit highlights the ongoing diplomatic relations and cooperation between the two neighbouring countries translating into mutual respect and collaboration that have been hallmarks of the partnership.
Narendra Modi is expected to take oath on June 8 after the BJP-led NDA surpassed the majority mark with great difficulty winning 293 seats against the opposition INDIA bloc’s 234 seats in the 18th Lok Sabha elections.
The counting for the Lok Sabha general elections 2024 in India, which began on April 19, was done on Tuesday, June 4. According to the Election Commission, the BJP secured 240 seats, lower than its tally of 303 in the previous elections in 2019 and way off their target of “400 paar” in a disappointing outcome.
On the other hand, the main opposition, Congress saw a growth having won 99 seats against 52 won in 2019.
