Awami League five-member delegation to leave for India Sunday
A five-member delegation of Awami League led by praesidium member and agriculture minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque will leave for New Delhi, capital of India, on a three-day visit, on Sunday at the invitation of India’s ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The other members of the delegation are Awami League joint general secretary and information and broadcasting minister Hsasan Mahmud, organising secretary Sujit Roy Nandi, executive committee member Merina Jahan and lawmaker Aroma Dutta.
According to the party sources, the delegation will hold several meetings with the officials of the Indian government including external affairs minister S Jaishankar and national security advisor Ajit Kumar Doval. They will also meet the political leaders of the country including BJP’s president Jagat Prakash Nadda.
The Awami League delegation was secluded to visit on 20 July, which was deferred to 29 July, but it was rescheduled again due to unavailability of the appointment of Indian prime minster and other important persons.
Awami League said this is a courtesy visit at the invitation of BJP. With the next national election due in five months, Awami League leaders think the visit of a party delegation to India and their meeting with the country’s policymakers have other importance.
According to Awami League leaders, India has been providing Awami League with all-out support since the party came to power in 2009. Although the activities of the US and other western countries have increased in Bangladesh ahead of its next general election, India is not that much active openly as yet, but India maintains a good relation with Awami League.
Issues including Awami League’s plan on the next election, India’s point of view and possible sectors of cooperation may be discussed during this visit.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina is also expected to join the G20-summit in New Delhi in September as the host India has invited Bangladesh to join the summit as a guest.
Awami League presidium member Muhammad Abdur Razzaque told Prothom Alo this is a courtesy visit at the invitation of BJP.
Several meetings will be held at government and political levels during this visit where opinions will be exchanged mutually and many political issues will be discussed, he added.