Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla today said establishment of ‘Bangabandhu Chair’ at the Delhi University (DU) is a ‘fitting tribute to great leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, his life and work’.
“Whether one calls him Bangabandhu or the father of the nation, there is no doubt that one is referring to a very major historical figure who literally shaped the destiny of nations,” he said making a statement at an agreement signing ceremony on Monday.
He said, “Bangabandhu is revered in India. His struggles, his accomplishments and his values continue to inspire…Sheikh Mujib was all the more remarkable for being a strong voice against radicalism and extremism of any kind.”
Shringla, the former high commissioner of India to Bangladesh and India’s incumbent foreign secretary, said Bangabandhu, who led a great battle for freedom and created a nation, laid the foundations for his country’s growth and development.
“Bangladesh is today one of the major engines of growth in the region with impressive economic expansion rates and rapidly improving socio-economic indicators. There are many areas in which we have learnt from Bangladesh and will continue to do so,” he added.
Referring to Indo-Bangladesh ties, he said India and Bangladesh continue to attach a very special importance to their bilateral relations. “By any indicator, the bonds between our two nations are marked by a rare degree of closeness, substance and understanding”, he added.
Shringla said “two of the major pillars of Indian diplomacy, its Neighborhood First and Act East policies, find common ground in our work with Bangladesh.”
Later, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up the “Bangabandhu Chair”, first of its kind in India, in honour of Father of Bengali Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was signed between ICCR and the Delhi University.
