Dhaka underscores plurality, ties with northeast in greetings to Himanta

PM Hasina invited Assam to benefit from Bangladesh’s growth

May 14, 2021 10:56 pm | Updated 10:56 pm IST - NEW DELHI

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. File

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. File

Bangladesh is central for connectivity of northeast India, Foreign Minister Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen has conveyed to Assam’s new Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma. The message from Dhaka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs followed a similar congratulatory message from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh in which the leader hinted at the pluralistic nature of Assam.

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina invited Indian State of Assam to reap benefits from Bangladesh’s growth trajectory in view of warmth-depth-diversity of Bangladesh-India relationships while congratulating Himanta Biswa Sarma, as new CM of Assam and wishing him success in leading his pluralistic state,” declared a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

The reference to ‘pluralism’ of Assam is significant as the BJP government of the State has spearheaded the NRC in Assam after the 2016 electoral victory. Mr Sarma has vowed to revisit NRC to “rectify” the process. NRC has been unpopular in Bangladesh as it was viewed as a ploy to target the people of Bangladesh. Dr. Momen has repeatedly hit out at Indian leaders including Home Minister Amit Shah for referring to citizens of Bangladesh in a derogatory manner.

“Foreign Minister Dr Momen congratulated CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on assuming office, noted Bangladesh’s centrality in enhancing connectivity for India's North East and increasing relevance in India’s ‘Act East Policy’, and hoped under his leadership Assam will progress towards greater peace and progress,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh summing up the statement.

The new Chief Minister of Assam responded on his social media account saying that Assam is “committed” to pursue the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “We shall continue to gain mutually,” said Mr. Sarma in his response.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.