Rohit Kumar
NEW DELHI, Feb 15: The Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the swearing-in of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Tarique Rahman as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Tuesday.
In a significant diplomatic outreach, the Chief Advisor of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, invited heads of government from 13 countries – India, China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan – to attend the oath ceremony.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited to the event, but he will be unable to attend due to prior commitments in Mumbai for bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, and then will chair the Artificial Intelligence (AI) impact summit in Delhi.
On Birla’s participation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “The Speaker’s participation at this important event underscores the deep and enduring friendship between the peoples of India and Bangladesh, reaffirming India’s steadfast commitment to the democratic values that bind our two nations.”
“As neighbors united by a shared history, culture, and mutual respect, India welcomes Bangladesh’s transition to an elected government under the leadership of Tarique Rahman, whose vision and values have received an overwhelming mandate of the people,” it said.
The ceremony is expected to take place at the Southern Plaza of the Bangladesh Parliament House. The oath to Tarique Rahman will be administered by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, underscoring the constitutional transition after the general election.
Bangladesh media report said leaders of at least 12 other countries have been invited to the event including SAARC countries Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka as well as China, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia and Brunei. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay are also expected to travel to Delhi on February 18 for the AI summit.
Sources confirmed that the invitation from Bangladesh’s Interim advisor Muhammad Yunus was delivered on Saturday through diplomatic channels. The invitation came a day after Mr Modi and Mr Rahman on telephone after the election results, which gave the BNP a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
The BNP Foreign Affairs Advisor Humaiun Kobir had said all “regional leaders” would be invited to the swearing in ceremony on Tuesday. Mr Macron will arrive in India on Monday and hold talks with M. Modi on Tuesday at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. Both leaders will then fly to Delhi to attend the AI Impact summit.
Rahman will take over from an interim government that has steered Bangladesh since the student-led uprising ended the iron-fisted rule of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. The success of BNP chief Rahman marks a remarkable turnaround for a man who only returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in exile in Britain, far from Dhaka’s political storms. The BNP alliance won 212 seats, compared with 77 for the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance, according to the Electoral Commission.
Ties between Bangladesh and India had deteriorated after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government was ousted from power following the July 2024 uprising in the neighboring country. Hasina had fled to India, and Dhaka has repeatedly asked New Delhi to hand her over. The recent killing of minorities, particularly the Hindus, further caused thaws between India-Bangladesh relations.
However, the Rahman’s government would be looking to improve ties with India but asserted that the onus for this is on New Delhi, said the BNP chief’s adviser Humaiun Kobir on Sunday. Though he also noted that Hasina, whom he described as a ‘terrorist’, must be extradited to Bangladesh. “India must not be seen as complicit in any activities that undermine Bangladesh’s sovereignty. Once that is addressed, normal diplomatic cooperation can resume. We are neighbors and should work together for mutual benefit,” he had said.
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