Even as Modi receives award on Vajpayee's behalf, Bangladesh media hails his visit

Dhaka: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s schedule was packed on day two of his Bangladesh trip with visits to the Dhakeshwari Temple and the Ramkrishna Mission in Dhaka. PM Modi also received on behalf of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee the Award of Bangladesh Liberation War Honour. Meanwhile the Bangladeshi media has had only good things to say about Modi’s visit with them terming it the “dawn of a new era” in bilateral ties. On his maiden visit to the neighbouring country, Modi was given a red carpet welcome in Dhaka on Saturday along with a guard of honour. The Prime Minister is expected to send a strong message to strengthen the hand of his Bangladesh counterpart who has been steadfastly helping India in curbing various Northeast militant groups who used to take refuge in that country besides coming down hard on radical Muslim outfits. [caption id=“attachment_2283742” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes out of Sree Sree Dhakeshwari National Temple after offering prayers in Dhaka. PTI[/caption] The award for Vajpayee: Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid on Sunday handed over the award to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a glittering ceremony at Bangabhaban, the President’s house, which was attended by Premier Sheikh Hasina and top officials of her government. “This day is a matter of great pride for all Indians that a great leader like Atal Bihari Vajpayee is being honoured. He dedicated his entire life to the service of the country and he fought for the rights of the common man and from a political point of view he was our inspiration for political workers like myself,” Modi said after receiving the award. Modi said that when muktijodhas (freedom fighters) of Bangladesh were shedding blood, Indians too were fighting side-by-side with them and in a way helped realise the dream of Bangladesh. He said he was one of the young volunteers who came to Delhi to participate in a Satyagraha launched by Jana Sangh to support Bangladeshi freedom fighters in 1971. He also recalled Vajpayee’s speech in Parliament on December 6, 1971 in which he had asked government to recognise Bangladesh as a nation. “If Atalji’s health permitted and he was present here, this occasion would be very different,” Modi said. The citation of the Award hailed Vajpayee as a “highly respected political leader” and recognised his “active role” in support of the liberation war of Bangladesh. It said that as President of Bharatiya Jana Sangh and a member of the Lok Sabha Vajpayee took various steps towards that end. “In an editorial column of the ‘Organiser’ Vajpayee welcomed Bangabandu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman’s historic declaration of Bangladesh’s independence and called upon the government of India to recognise the government of Bangladesh and provide necessary assistance to the freedom fighters,” the citation said. It also recognised Jana Sangh’s role in pressing the demand for Indian government’s “expedited support” to the liberation war. It mentioned Vajpayee’s “firm stand at National and international levels for the cause of Bangladesh and its striving people”. “The people of Bangladesh would always remember the significant contributions made by Atal Bihari Vajpayee towards supporting the cause of Bangladesh’s liberation war and consolidating friendship between Bangladesh and India,” it added. In her speech at the award ceremony, Prime Minister Hasina said Vajpayee’s activities had a “significant contribution” in the struggle for liberation of Bangladesh. She took the opportunity to describe Modi as “Vajpayee’s able successor and a great friend of Bangladesh as Vajpayee.”

A Bharat Ratna Awardee, 90-year-old Vajpayee could not be present at the ceremony due to poor health. Hasina also acknowledged India’s assistance in Bangladesh’s freedom struggle and recalled that “Indians had given shelter to people of Bangladesh” at that time. Visit to Dhakeshwari Temple, Ramkrishna Mission: The Prime Minister also offered his prayers at the famous 12th century Dhakeshwari national temple, the most revered place for Hindu community in Bangladesh. The Prime Minister spent around 15 minutes at the temple, which is considered an essential part of Dhaka’s cultural heritage and one of the major ‘Shaktipeeths’ of the region. The name “Dhakeshwari” means “Goddess of Dhaka” and experts said the Bangladesh capital derived its name from Dhakeshwari. Since the destruction of Ramna Kali Mandir in 1971 by the Pakistan army during the Bangla Liberation War, the Dhakeshwari temple has assumed status as the most important Hindu place of worship in Bangladesh. Members of the temple authorities felt Modi’s visit to Dhakeshwari signified a message of solidarity to the Hindu community. Modi was felicitated by the priests and authorities of the temple. He was given a replica of Goddess Dhakeshwari and a shawl besides other memorabilia.

The Prime Minister, who has long association with Ramakrishna Mission, visited its branch at the heart of the Bangladeshi capital on the second day of his two-day visit. He participated in prayers at the Math along with monks who accorded a warm welcome to the Prime Minister. Mission Headquarters (Kolkata) chief Swami Suhitananda and Dhaka Mission Principal Swami Dhruveshananda welcomed Modi at the mission. Taking to his Twitter account the Prime Minister tweeted:

The mission presented him two commemoratives and a biography of Swami Vivekananda. The chancery complex: Later Modi visited the new Chancery complex of the Indian High Commission in Baridhara locality of Dhaka where he unveilled a number of grant-in-aid projects for Bangladesh.

The six projects are: the India-Bangladesh Maitri Girls Hostel, Victoria College, Narail; construction of third floor of Blind Education & Rehabilitation Development Organisation, Mirpur, Dhaka; sewage treatment plant snd waste water treatment plant, Kumudini Hospital, Mirzapur, Tangail; establishment of Hindi Department, Institute of Modern Languages, University of Dhaka; recording studio, Music Department, University of Dhaka and Assistance to Department of Dance, University of Dhaka. What the Bangladeshi media said: Bangladesh’s mainstream media today gave front page coverage to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden visit here, hailing it as the “dawn of a new era” in bilateral ties while lamenting the lack of “definite progress” on the contentious Teesta water sharing issue.

“The New Horizon in relations”, read the headlines of mass circulation ‘Prothom Alo’ newspaper, with the report highlighting that the visit had yielded 22 agreements and MoUs to take bilateral ties to a new height. In its main editorial, the newspaper said, “for different reasons, the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be remembered…the visit is going to resolve the border dispute and enclaves which was pending unresolved for nearly seven decades.” The widely circulated ‘Samokal’ carried the headline “Friendship in new height” and highlighted Modi’s comments in which he paid tributes to Bangladesh’s founder and his counterpart Sheikh Hasina’s father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It also highlighted the Bangladesh premier’s priorities for enhanced connectivity. Leading English newspaper, ‘The Daily Star’, carried the headline, “Dawn of a new era”, with its subtitles saying “Hasina, Modi, pledge mutual growth; land deal documents exchanged; 22 deals signed; USD 2 billion fresh Indian credit.” In an editorial titled, “No breakthrough on Teesta”, the newspaper, said, “we did not expect the (Teesta) deal to come through on this visit but had certainly hoped for some definite progress in the regard.” With PTI and IANS inputs