Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla meets B'desh PM Tarique Rahman

    Dhaka, Feb 17 (PTI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday met Tarique Rahman shortly after the BNP leader was sworn in as Bangladesh's Prime Minister and handed over a congratulatory letter from his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, officials said.
    Birla, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, represented India at the oath ceremony of Rahman held at the open space of the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad in the presence of Bangladesh's top political and military brass.
    "Birla met the new prime minister shortly after the swearing-in ceremony at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban,” Rahman’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibly told PTI.
    He said the Indian Speaker handed over to the new Bangladesh leader a congratulatory letter from Prime Minister Modi.
    Shibly said they held talks for nearly 20 minutes during which Birla greeted Rahman and expected Delhi-Dhaka ties under his new government would grow further.
    Both leaders expressed optimism about working together for the well-being of the people of the two countries, pursuing a people-centric menu of cooperation, Bangladesh's High Commissioner to India, Riaz Hamidullah, said in a post on X.
    The Indian High Commission in Dhaka issued the text of Modi’s letter in which he told Rahman that his victory was a “testimony to the trust and confidence reposed by the people of Bangladesh in your leadership and their mandate for your vision to take the country forward on the path of peace, stability and prosperity”.
     “I look forward to working with you to strengthen our multifaceted bilateral relations, enhance regional cooperation and advance our common goals in wide-ranging areas of connectivity, trade, technology, education, skill development, energy, healthcare, as well as culture and people-to-people exchanges”.
    Modi also extended an invitation to Rahman to visit India along with his wife, Zubaida Rahman, and daughter, Zaima, at a mutually convenient time.
    He had congratulated Rahman soon after the Bangladesh election results last week.
     Birla's presence at the ceremony came as Dhaka and New Delhi are looking at rebuilding their ties that came under severe strain under Muhammad Yunus's interim government.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)