First-ever foreign representation at Dhaka swearing-in ceremony highlights regional diplomatic ties
New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will represent India at prime minister-designate Tarique Rahman’s oath-taking ceremony in Dhaka on February 17, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed Sunday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who received Bangladesh’s invitation, will be unable to attend as he hosts French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai the same day. Birla, second in India’s official order of precedence after the Prime Minister, will be accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Singh.
This marks a historic first for Bangladesh, which has invited foreign leaders to a government inauguration for the first time a practice pioneered in South Asia by Modi.
The MEA emphasized that Birla’s participation “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 high-level Indian presence signals New Delhi’s continued engagement with its key South Asian neighbor.
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