Modi to deliver keynote speech at Bangabandhu's centenary programme

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote speech at the inaugural centenary event of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 17 March, 2020 in Dhaka, reports The Hindu.

The event will launch year-long programmes between 2020 and 2021, formally described as Mujib Year celebrations. An array of Indian leaders, along with international dignitaries, will attend the event and the year-long celebrations, officials said.

“Prime minister Narendra Modi is invited and he has confirmed his participation,” said Syed Muazzem Ali, high commissioner of Bangladesh. Officials in Dhaka confirmed Modi would deliver the keynote. Attending the Bangladesh Book Fair in Kolkata, Ali said many Indian politicians would also be invited, according to the English-language Indian newspaper.

“Many Indian chief ministers and opposition leaders will be invited. There will be programmes in Delhi, Kolkata and Agartala; our missions in India have planned a variety of programmes,” Ali told The Hindu.

In Dhaka, officials said at least “30 global leaders are invited” to various programmes and “about a dozen have already confirmed” their participation. Pakistan will not be invited, reports the Indian daily.

President of Bangabandhu’s Birth Centenary Celebration Committee Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury said besides Bangladesh and India, events are planned in London, New York, Tokyo and Moscow.

“Eight sub-committees are formed. The international sub-committees are detailing the overseas programmes,” Chowdhury told The Hindu on phone. In Kolkata, several joint events will be hosted.

“The [2020] Kolkata Book Fair will be dedicated to Bangabandhu. There will be joint publications, media conferences, production of documentaries and seminars in Kolkata and Agartala,” Chowdhury said. Indian journalists, who reported extensively during the 1971 war, will be invited to Dhaka to share their experience, says The Hindu.