PM Modi invited Tariq Rehman to visit India, Om Birla handed over the letter after the swearing-in ceremony in Dhaka.

Dhaka, 17 February. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday attended the swearing-in ceremony of Bangladesh’s new Prime Minister Tariq Rahman in Dhaka as the Indian representative and on behalf of PM Narendra Modi invited Rahman to visit India. Birla also conveyed PM Modi’s good wishes to Tariq, who took over as prime minister almost two years after Sheikh Hasina’s resignation following massive protests. Hasina is currently in exile in India.

After winning the elections on February 12, Rehman and his cabinet took oath this evening itself. BNP led by Rahman won two-thirds majority and returned to power in the country. Rehman, son of former PM late Begum Khaleda Zia, had returned to Dhaka ahead of the elections after 17 years in exile in London.

The Indian Prime Minister was one of the first people to contact the BNP leader after winning the election, a sign of thawing amid strained relations between the two neighbors during the interim government in Bangladesh. PM Modi has now invited him to visit India ‘as soon as possible’.

Just concluded a constructive meeting with Prime Minister of Bangladesh @trahmanbnp

I handed over a personal letter from Prime Minister @narendramodi conveying his wishes to PM Rahman and inviting him to visit India at the earliest convenience.

I extended warm congratulations… pic.twitter.com/gFNqLmnxsT

— Om Birla (@ombirlakota) February 17, 2026

Om Birla said in a post on X, ‘Just finished a good meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tariq Rahman. I gave a personal letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to PM Rahman, in which he has given his best wishes to PM Rahman and invited him to visit India as soon as possible. Birla further said, ‘I extend my heartfelt congratulations on behalf of the people of India and reaffirm our commitment to further deepen the strong partnership between our two neighboring countries.’

The Lok Sabha Speaker’s social media post was similar to PM Modi’s congratulatory message on February 13. PM Modi had written on X, ‘It was a pleasure to talk to Mr. Tariq Rehman. I congratulated him for his landslide victory in the Bangladesh elections. I extended my best wishes and support to him in his endeavor to fulfill the expectations of the people of Bangladesh. As two close neighbors with deep historical and cultural ties, I reaffirmed India’s continued commitment to the peace, progress and prosperity of the people of our two countries.

I convey my warm congratulations to Mr. Tarique Rahman on leading BNP to a decisive victory in the Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh.

This victory shows the trust of the people of Bangladesh in your leadership.

India will continue to stand in support of a democratic,…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 13, 2026

However, Bangladesh PM Rahman has said that the ‘Bangladesh First’ agenda will determine the country’s two-way relations with its neighbours. On the question of how he sees India-Bangladesh relations, Tariq said, ‘The interests of Bangladesh and its people will decide our foreign policy.’