Tarique Rahman to take oath as Bangladesh PM on Monday; PM Modi invited

Tariq Rahman will take the oath as Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Monday. South Asian leaders have been invited to attend the oath-taking ceremony of Tariq Rahman and his cabinet.

 

"As the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tariq Rahman, chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), will take the oath on Monday alongside his cabinet.

 

South Asian leaders have been invited to the ceremony, and several invitations have already been sent.

 

However, due to weekend holidays in those countries, it may take some time, and the attendance of the leaders, especially the Prime Ministers, will depend on their availability at that time," a reliable source told ANI on Saturday night.

 

The new Prime Minister and the other members of his cabinet usually take the oath in the Durbar Hall of Bangladesh's Presidential Palace, Bangabhaban.

However, this time, the oath ceremony will be held at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhavan.

 

A senior official of the Bangladesh government told ANI that, because many more guests have been invited to the ceremony, the Durbar Hall could not accommodate the large number, so the ceremony is being held at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhavan.

 

"Invitations have been sent to the Prime Ministers of the South Asian countries, but they will confirm by Sunday who will actually attend.

 

They mentioned that they will inform us of their schedules and whether the Prime Minister can come on Monday.

 

However, each country will send a representative at some level, and if a Prime Minister cannot attend, the Foreign Minister will definitely come -- this was indicated," the source added.

 

Meanwhile, party sources indicate that Tarique Rahman has begun forming his cabinet.

 

However, this cabinet will be very small initially.

 

It may expand later, but at the outset, it will not be large.

 

Therefore, the cabinet taking the oath on Monday is expected to be small.

PM Modi to be invited

Bangladesh is learnt to be in the process of inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other regional leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the country's next prime minister, Tarique Rahman, on February 17, people familiar with the matter said on Saturday.

 

It is learnt that Dhaka has already communicated its plan to New Delhi.

 

Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has indicated that the leaders of several countries in the region would be invited for the ceremony.

 

There is no official word on the invitation yet.

 

Modi is unlikely to travel to Dhaka as he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai on February 17.

 

New Delhi may send a senior government functionary to attend Rahman's swearing-in ceremony, it is learnt.

 

In a phone conversation with Rahman on Friday, Modi congratulated the BNP leader on his party's remarkable victory in the Bangladesh parliamentary election.

 

"I conveyed my best wishes and support in his endeavour to fulfil the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh," Modi said after the call.

 

"As two close neighbours with deep-rooted historical and cultural ties, I reaffirmed India's continued commitment to the peace, progress, and prosperity of both our peoples," he said.