Modi-hasina meeting in Shantiniketan on May 25
NEW DELHI: Keeping aside protocol Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina will have a 'substantive' bilateral meeting on May 25 in the newly built Bangladesh Bhavan that has come up in Bengal's Shantiniketan. Both PMS will attend a banquet lunch in honour of the visiting dignitary.
Bangladesh PM is expected to arrive on May 25 morning, and leave Bengal on May 26 evening. During her visit, she will stay in a five-star hotel in Kolkata. Bangladesh High Commissioner Syed Moazzem Ali will host a special Iftar party in honour of the PM Hasina over two days in Kolkata. Initially, it was planned that the bilateral meeting would be held in Kolkata and after that, both PMS would travel to Shantiniketan in the evening. But, later the venue of the meeting was shifted to Shantiniketan.
As per protocol, after the visit of Bangla PM to India last year, it's the turn of Indian PM to pay a return visit to Dhaka. Bangladesh will have their general election later this year. PM Modi is of the view both the countries should avoid the nitty-gritty of diplomatic protocol and find time to meet each other on any occasion. Dhaka has financed the newly built Bangladesh Bhavan within the premises of the Visva Bharati University campus. Apart from a museum, there is a conference room.
Hasina is coming to Bengal to inaugurate the Bangladesh Bhavan and to attend a convocation of Kazi Nazrul University in Asansol in Burdwan district of Bengal, where she would be conferred an honorary D.litt by the University. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be the chief guest of that convocation, and the Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi will deliver the convocation address as Chancellor of the University. The Bangladesh side quite upbeat about the visit as PM Modi decided to join PM Hasina at the convocation of the Visva Bharati University and agreed to a bilateral meeting. A source in the External affairs ministry did confirm that the meeting would cover a wide range of substantive issues.
Last year during the visit of PM Hasina, PM Modi assured her that India would try to resolve the pending Teesta water sharing agreement before the tenure of Awami League government ends. The issue could not be solved because of opposition from the West Bengal Chief minister who clarified in many informal interactions that the Union Government did not reach out to her to build consensus. Now, Bangladesh is optimistic that pending issues would be resolved as main stakeholders would be part of the high-level meeting.