New Delhi: Ministry of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar on Wednesday paid tribute to former President of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the occasion of ‘Mujib Borsho’ and said that his ideas always inspire millions across the world.
Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said, “Pay homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his birth centenary. His ideas continue to inspire millions across the world. India is proud to celebrate its legacy jointly with Bangladesh in this history #MujibBorsho."
Read: PM Modi to embark on two-day visit to Bangladesh
As part of India’s neighbourhood first policy, earlier this month, Minister Jaishankar visited Dhaka to prepare the ground for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Bangladesh. During his visit, Jaishankar met his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen to discuss ways to take forward the bilateral relations between the two countries.
The importance of Mujib Borsho (year)
Mujib Borsho is the year declared to celebrate the centennial birth anniversary of the founding leader of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The Government of Bangladesh has declared the year 2020-21 as the Mujib Year. This year was scheduled to celebrated from March 17, 2020, to December 16, 2021 which later extended to 9 months, from 17 March 2021 to 16 December 2021. Mujib was born on March 17, 1920, in East Bengal.
On March 26, 2021, Bangladesh will mark the half-centenary of its independence and the announcement of the year is also important as Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was actively involved in Bangladesh's struggle for independence.
Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his heartfelt tribute to Sheikh Mujibur Rehman and called him a ‘hero for all Indians'. The Prime Minister also said that he will be honoured to participate in the celebrations of the birth centenary of Rahman.
Read: Modi, Hasina, virtually inaugurates Indo-Bangla Maitri Setu over Feni
“My heartfelt homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a champion of Human Rights and freedom, on his birth anniversary. He is a hero for all Indians too. It will be my honour to visit Bangladesh later this month for the historic MujibBorsho celebration”, Prime Minister Modi said in a tweet on Wednesday.
It is worth noting that Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit Bangladesh on March 26 &27 this year on the invitation of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
This visit is in line with the commemoration of three epochal events - Mujib Borsho, the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh; and 50 years of Bangladesh’s war of liberation.
Prime Minister had last visited Bangladesh in 2015.
According to reports, India has provided generous development assistance to Bangladesh. India’s concessional line of credit of nearly USD 10 billion is the largest it has offered to any country. Besides, grant-in-aid forms an important part of India’s developmental assistance in Bangladesh.
Read: PM Modi to inaugurate 'Maitri Setu' between India and Bangladesh today
The bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh have grown over the years with both countries working hand in hand to improve their relationship. Undoubtedly, India-Bangladesh shares strong cultural and economic ties.
