PM Modi will not attend Tarique Rahman's swearing-in ceremony; LS Speaker Om Birla to represent India

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of the Tarique Rahman-led government in Bangladesh on Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs announced. The swearing-in ceremony will take place at the South Plaza of the Bangladesh Parliament on February 17 in the afternoon. Although he received an official invitation from Bangladesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be attending because he is scheduled to meet French President Emmanuel Macron, who is visiting India on Tuesday, and to chair the AI ​​Summit in Delhi.

Other invited countries are China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan. Tarique Rahman is likely to meet opposition party leaders, including Jamaat-e-Islami, today ahead of the swearing-in. Meanwhile, Tarique Rahman had said the other day that relations with countries, including India, will be based purely on national interests. His response came during the first interview after the BNP's victory in the elections.

Tarique Rahman said that Bangladesh envision a balanced relationship and will not limit diplomacy to just one country. “Our foreign policy will be defined by the interests of Bangladesh and the people of this country.” Tarique Rahman reiterated this stance.