Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of Bangladesh’s next Prime Minister, Tarique Rahman, on February 17. Sources said Bangladesh had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the ceremony to be held in Dhaka. Om Birla, the Lok Sabha Speaker, will represent the Government of India at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected Government of Bangladesh led by Tarique Rahman, the External Affairs Ministry said on Sunday.
Rahman led the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to a spectacular victory in Bangladesh’s parliamentary polls. “The speaker’s participation at this important event underscores the deep and enduring friendship between the peoples of India and Bangladesh, reaffirming India’s steadfast commitment to the democratic values that bind our two nations,” the ministry said in a statement.
“As neighbours united by a shared history, culture, and mutual respect, India welcomes Bangladesh’s transition to an elected Government under the leadership of Tarique Rahman, whose vision and values have received an overwhelming mandate of the people,” it said.The newly-elected Members of Parliament are also scheduled to take the oath on Tuesday morning, followed by the swearing-in ceremony of the Cabinet in the evening.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin is likely to administer the oath of office to the newly elected parliament members at 10 am, while President Mohammed Shahabuddin will administer the oath to the new cabinet of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Chairman Tarique Rahman, at 4 pm.
Rahman is set to become the prime minister for the first time. He will replace the interim government chief, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, under whose tenure Dhaka’s relations with New Delhi witnessed a significant downturn.
In another development, the student-led National Citizen Party (NCP) is preparing to form a shadow cabinet, according to party spokesperson and former interim Government advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, local media reports said. The proposed shadow Cabinet would act as a watchdog over the Government, Asif posted on social media, it said.
Bangladesh held the significant 13th parliamentary election on February 12 after a period of tumultuous political vacuum, instability and fragile security situation, including widespread attacks on minorities after the student-led protests brought down the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024. Hasina’s Awami League party was barred from contesting the polls, which recorded 59.44 per cent voter turnout.
