PM Modi’s visit to Brussels was also postponed over COVID-19. (Photo Credit: PTI/File)
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the birth centenary celebrations of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman via video conference on Tuesday. The Prime Minister’s office made the announcement about PM Modi's participation in the birth centenary celebrations of ‘Jatir Pita’ Bangabandhu, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’ via video link on Monday. This comes after PM Modi’s Bangladesh visit was cancelled in the wake of novel coronavirus pandemic.
PM to participate in the birth centenary celebrations of ‘Jatir Pita’ Bangabandhu, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, tomorrow via video conferencing. https://t.co/x2aonzifQk
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) March 16, 2020
via NaMo App pic.twitter.com/abziTnkrUn
The year-long celebrations were scheduled to start at the National Parade Ground in Dhaka on March 17 and was expected to be attended by several foreign dignitaries, including PM Modi. However, it will now be without any public gatherings due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier, Bangladesh had also invited former President Pranab Mukherjee and Nepal’s President Bidhya Devi Bhandari to address an parliamentary session to mark the celebrations.
Moreover, PM Modi’s visit to Brussels had been also postponed over COVID-19. The PM was slated to hold a summit meeting with the European Union in his visit to Brussels.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is considered to be the driving force behind the independence of Bangladesh, served as nation's first President and later went on to hold the post of Prime Minister from April 17, 1971 until his assassination on August 15, 1975.
Rahman is widely known as "Bangabandhu" (Friend of Bengal) by the people of Bangladesh. His daughter Sheikh Hasina is the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
According to the latest updates, Bangladesh has ordered the closure of all education institutions till March-end and has also imposed a ban on the entry of Europeans and travellers from several countries, including India, as part of measures to combat the deadly COVID-19.
(With PTI inputs)
