Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birth centenary: PM Modi describes former Bangladesh president 'Bangabandhu' as man of courage, conviction

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday described former Bangladesh president 'Bangabandhu' Sheik Mujibur Rahman as one of the greatest figures of the last century, adding that "his entire life is a tremendous inspiration to all of us". The PM participated in the centenary celebrations of the birth of 'Jatir Pita' Bangabandhu through a video message.

Describing 'Bangabandhu' as a man of courage, conviction and sage of peace, PM Modi said that Bangladesh’s “Jatir Pita’s” inspired the youth of those times to face the challenges of liberate the country.

The PM mentioned how a repressive and cruel regime, disregarding all democratic values, unleashed a reign of injustice on `Bangla Bhumi’ and devastated its people and recalled how Bangabandhu devoted every moment of his life towards bringing Bangladesh out of the phase of devastation and genocide and making it into a positive and progressive society.

The Prime Minister said, "Bangabandhu was absolutely clear that hatred and negativity could never be the foundation of any country's development. But Bangabandhu's ideas and efforts were not liked by some people who snatched  him away from us."

PM Modi said, “We are all witnessing that how making terror and violence weapons of politics and diplomacy destroys society and a nation. The world is also watching where the supporters of terror and violence are currently placed and in what state they are, while Bangladesh is scaling new heights”.

The Prime Minister expressed his pleasure at seeing the people of Bangladesh dedicating themselves day and night to making their own nation, 'Shonar Bangla,' as Sheik Mujibur Rahman had dreamt.

He also commended Bangladesh's progress, inspired by Bangabandhu, under the leadership of Sheik Hasina with inclusive and development-oriented policies. He added that Bangladesh is setting new benchmarks for either the economy, other social indices or sports. The Prime Minister praised Bangladesh's unprecedented progress in many fields such as skills, education, health, empowerment of women and microfinance.

"In the last few years, India and Bangladesh have written a golden chapter in bilateral ties and given a new dimension and direction to our partnership," said the Prime Minister, because of increasing trust between the two countries to address complex border issues in a friendly way.

He also said that Bangladesh is not only India's largest trading partner in South Asia, but also a development partner. He listed the cooperation between the two countries in a number of connectivity-enhancing sectors, such as electricity distribution, friendship pipeline, road, rail, internet, airways and waterways, which connect even more people from both countries.

The Prime Minister mentioned that the heritage of the two countries comes from intellectuals such as Tagore, Qazi Nazrul Islam, Ustad Alauddin Khan, Lalon Shah, Jibananda Das and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. He said that the legacy and inspiration of Bangabandhu has made the heritage of both countries more comprehensive, deep-rooted and the path is shown by Bangabandhu a strong foundation for the partnership, progress and prosperity of both countries over the last decade.

Mentioning the coming milestones of the two countries, the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's liberation in 2021 and the 75th anniversary of India's independence in 2022, the PM was confident that both of these milestones will not only bring the development of India and Bangladesh to new heights but will also strengthen the bond of friendship between the two countries.