India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said Indians consider Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman an icon — a man of action, courage and conviction.

“He (Bangabandhu) is as revered and remembered in India, as he is in Bangladesh,” he said.

Jaishankar mentioned that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said Bangabandhu is their “hero” too.

As a mark of respect to him, both countries have commissioned a biopic on him, which is nearing completion, said the Indian minister.

Jaishankar was speaking at the award giving ceremony of the "Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Student Scholarship" in New Delhi today (September 7, 2022).

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina conferred the first Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Scholarship on descendants of Indian armed forces personnel who were martyred or critically wounded during the Liberation war of 1971.

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"Prime Minister, under your and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visionary leadership, India-Bangladesh relations have taken great strides forward in ways that have not only shaped the contemporary but also the future trajectory of the partnership in mind," said the Indian foreign minister.

Jaishankar said for many years, freedom fighters have acted as a bridge between the two countries.

"That bond is now reaffirmed as the families of our war veterans and of those who made supreme sacrifices in the Liberation War, gather here today," he said, adding that the decision of the government of Bangladesh to award Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Student Scholarship is a testament of how the Liberation War of 1971 continues to inspire the bilateral relationship.

He congratulated the youths who received the scholarship and wished them success.

"You inherit a brave and historic legacy. Please honour and cherish it. As you will move ahead in life, you will be the custodian of the memory of that epochal war that gave birth to a new nation. So, do well and be true to everything that you do. That would be one of the finest tributes to a heroic leader, in whose name you receive this scholarship today," he said.

Jaishankar thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for this generous gesture of her government. "It is truly a symbol of our unique history."