New Delhi: Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, along with former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the party's general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, called on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the national capital on Monday. Hasina was in the national capital to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will return to her country on Monday.
The Bangladeshi PM arrived in New Delhi on Saturday and was among the distinguished leaders of South Asian countries to attend the oath-taking ceremony of PM Modi and other Cabinet ministers. Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Bhutan's PM Tshering Tobgay were also present on the occasion.
"Met with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, HE Sheikh Hasina Wazed ji, along with CPP Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji, and Congress General Secretary Smt. Priyanka Gandhi, this afternoon in New Delhi. We discussed a wide range of topics to further strengthen the natural bond that India and Bangladesh share, based on trust, cooperation, and a commitment to mutual growth," said Rahul Gandhi in a statement.
The Gandhi family has long-standing connections with Sheikh Hasina. Her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, shared a cordial relationship with former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who played a significant role in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan, which established friendly ties between the two countries.
Before meeting the Gandhi family, Hasina also met External Affairs S Jaishankar in the national capital. "Honoured to call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh today. The India-Bangladesh Maitri continues to advance," Jaishankar wrote after meeting with PM Hasina.
Hasina, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, his Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay and Vice-President of Seychelles Ahmed Afif also attended the glittering ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday. Modi took the oath for the third straight term, days after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance secured 293 seats out of 543 in the Lok Sabha polls.
Following the swearing-in ceremony, Modi met the visiting leaders in Rashtrapati Bhavan. The leaders congratulated him for taking oath as the prime minister of India for the historic third consecutive term, the MEA said. "Thanking them for gracing the occasion, the prime minister reaffirmed India's commitment to its 'Neighbourhood First' policy and 'SAGAR Vision'. "The prime minister emphasised that in his third term, India will continue to work for the peace, progress and prosperity of the region in close partnership with the countries even as it pursues its goal of Vikshit Bharat by 2047," it said.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, "I am grateful to all the foreign dignitaries who joined the swearing-in ceremony. India will always work closely with our valued partners in pursuit of human progress." The foreign leaders also attended a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President while welcoming the leaders stated that India's democratic exercise was not only a "moment of pride for its people, but an inspiration to millions around the world", the MEA said.
The foreign leaders were sitting in the front row at the ceremony held at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. While Hasina and Afif reached Delhi on Saturday, Muizzu, Prachanda, Wickremesinghe, Jugnauth and Tobgay arrived on Sunday.
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