Photos of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina alongside her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi have been prominently displayed across Delhi as part of India's grand preparations for Modi's swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for Sunday (June 09, 2024) evening. “Welcome to India,” read the large banners featuring the two leaders. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in New Delhi on Saturday to attend the ceremony, marking her as the first "distinguished" guest. She was warmly received at the airport by a high-level Indian delegation and Bangladesh High Commissioner to India, Md. Mustafizur Rahman. "This visit of one of our most valued partners will further strengthen Bangladesh-India close and deep-rooted bonds of friendship," stated the Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday. Modi’s oath-taking: PM Hasina warmly received by India as first “distinguished” guest During her stay in New Delhi, Prime Minister Hasina will have a private meeting with Modi following the swearing-in ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan at 7:15 pm on Sunday. She will also attend a state dinner hosted by the Indian President. The visit by leaders to attend Modi's swearing-in for his third consecutive term underscores India's commitment to its 'Neighbourhood First' policy and 'SAGAR' vision. The ceremony, following the 2024 general elections, will see the oath-taking of Prime Minister Modi and his Council of Ministers. Modi oath-taking: Foreign leaders' presence confirms India's Neighbourhood First policy, says MEA Distinguished guests from neighboring countries and the Indian Ocean region have been invited, including Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, Seychelles Vice-President Ahmed Afif, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay. Following the swearing-in ceremony, the leaders will attend a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Prime Minister Hasina is scheduled to depart New Delhi for Dhaka on Monday, expected to arrive at 8 pm. Cabinet expansion: 7 more junior ministers set to take oath Modi, 73, will be equalling the feat of the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who won in the 1952, 1957 and 1962 general elections.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi jointly opened the newly constructed Akhaura-Agartala Dual Gauge Railway Link Project, setting a significant milestone in cross-border connectivity. The important rail connection would contribute to boosting trade, business and tourism between the two neighbouring countries.The 12.24-km rail connection has linked Gangasagar Railway Station at Akhaura in Brahmanbaria to Nischintapur Railway Station at Agartala in India, connecting the northeastern region of India and Bangladesh. Israel must stop killing of Palestinian women and children: PM Hasina The railway link, with 6.78 km in Bangladesh’s part, was constructed under a joint venture of Bangladesh and India. The Akhaura (Bangladesh)-Agartala (India) railway line construction started in July 2018. The two prime ministers unveiled the Akhaura-Agartala cross-border rail link, joining an event from Ganabhaban in Dhaka and New Delhi through a virtual platform. We are determined to hold free and fair vote: PM Hasina tells South Asian ECs The two PMs also inaugurated two other Indian-aided projects --Khulna-Mongla Port Railway Construction Project and Unit-2 of Rampal Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant in Bagerhat. The 65-km railway from Khulna to Mongla port in Bagerhat would streamline goods transportation to the port. This railway will help transport Mongla port goods affordably within the country and support trade with India, Nepal, and Bhutan, contributing to regional economic growth. The Khulna-Mongla railway project began in September 2016. The second unit of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant Rampal would add 660 megawatt electricity to the national grid. The Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant-2 and the 65-kilometre Khulna-Mongla Port Railway Link have been implemented under the Indian LoC (Line of Credit) while the Akhaura (Bangladesh) and Agartala (India) Railway Link with Indian grants. PM Hasina denounces Israeli attacks on Palestine, calls for ending the war The Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant, known as Rampal thermal power plant, with a total capacity of 1,320 MW in two units was implemented under a joint venture of the two neighbouring countries.

India’s Congress Party has been criticised for its statement on the Israel-Hamas war. Over 3,000 people have been killed in the most recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. The Congress denounced the attacks on the Israeli people on Sunday (October 08, 2023), noting that violence never solves anything, reports NDTV. After Hamas fired 5,000 rockets from Gaza into Israel, a full-fledged conflict broke out. Also read: Palestinians scramble for safety as Israel pounds sealed-off Gaza Strip to punish Hamas The Congress Working Committee (CWC), voiced "dismay and anguish" over the conflict and reiterated its support for the Palestinian people's right to "land (and) self-government, and to live with dignity and respect". Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that his party has always maintained that the genuine aspirations of the Palestinian people must be met through dialogue while safeguarding Israeli national security concerns, the report said. Also read: What to know on fifth day of latest Israel-Palestinian war The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the statement, claiming that Congress was “supporting Hamas”. The BJP accused the opposition of being a "hostage to minority vote bank politics" and of sponsoring terrorism, it added. "Congress' CWC resolution on the Israel war is a classic example of how Indian foreign policy was hostage to Congress' minority vote bank politics, until Modi happened," BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said, adding "A reminder of how quickly things will go back to zero if we aren't vigilant in 2024." Also read: Israel-Hamas war: Humanitarian groups scrambling to assist civilians Prime Minister Narendra Modi has strongly denounced the acts and stated unequivocally that India stands with Israel. The war's total death toll has surpassed 3,000, and Israel's military has announced the construction of a base for thousands of soldiers in preparation for the next phase of reprisal. Late Monday, Hamas warned it was ready to execute captives it had captured if Israel attacked.

The Indian government has put forward a bill ensuring a third of seats for women in the lower house of the parliament and state assemblies. The bill, which was initially presented in 1996, has been in the works for decades, amidst objections from various political parties, reports BBC. Also read: Modi opponents boycott opening of new parliament building as PM reshapes India’s power corridor Its return is likely to bolster the chances of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) luck in national elections next May, it said. The bill was introduced during the first session of the new Indian parliament, but it is still a long way from becoming law. It would need the consent of both houses of the parliament and a majority of state legislatures, as well as the signature of the Indian president. Also read: Silence on Manipur ethnic violence prompts no-confidence vote against Indian PM Modi The reported proposals to raise the total number of seats might complicate implementation even further, the report said. Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi lauded the proposed law and said it was a historic occasion for the country in his inauguration speech at the new parliament building. "The world understands that only talking of women-led development is not enough. This is a positive step taken on that front," he told politicians as he appealed to them to support the bill. He also took a shot at the opposition, claiming that the past Congress-led administrations had failed to pass the measure while they were in office. Also read: Hasina, Modi agree to resolve outstanding bilateral issues through talks "There have been discussions around women's reservations for years. We can say with pride that we have scripted history," he said. Modi opened the new parliament building in May, but no business has been conducted there until now. He convened a five-day special session, which began on Monday but was held in the old parliament building on the first day. Members of the two houses gathered for a picture session in the old building on Tuesday morning, followed by a ceremony commemorating parliament's history in the Central Hall of the British-era structure. They subsequently relocated to the new parliament, which was formally named as the Parliament House of India by the office of the lower house of parliament.

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi have said they look forward to getting negotiations going on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) for their two countries, covering trade in goods, services, and protecting and promoting investment. Expressing satisfaction at the implementation of development cooperation projects, they looked forward to the joint inauguration of three projects (Agartala-Akhaura Rail Link, Unit-II of the Maitri Power Plant and Khulna-Mongla Rail Link) at a convenient date later. The two leaders had a bilateral meeting in New Delhi on Friday (September 08, 2023).  PM Hasina is visiting India as its guest country to participate in the G-20 Leaders Summit on 9-10 September 2023. Read more: Hasina, Modi agree to resolve outstanding bilateral issues through talks With regard to the regional situation, Prime Minister Modi expressed appreciation of the burden shouldered by Bangladesh in hosting over a million persons displaced from Rakhine State in Myanmar, and conveyed India's constructive and positive approach to support solutions towards safe and sustainable repatriation of the refugees. The Indian side welcomed the Indo-Pacific Outlook announced by Bangladesh recently, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (Indian Foreign Ministry).  The leaders agreed to continue working together to intensify their wide-ranging engagement. The two leaders discussed the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation including political and security cooperation, border management, trade and connectivity, water resources, power and energy, development cooperation, cultural and people to people ties. Current developments in the region and cooperation in the multilateral fora were also discussed. Read more: Dhaka, New Delhi sign 3 MoUs after Hasina-Modi talks They welcomed the operationalization of the Agreement on the use of the Chattogram and Mongla Ports and commissioning of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline.  They also expressed appreciation for operationalization of settlement of bilateral trade in INR (rupee) and encouraged the business community on both sides to utilize the mechanism. Hasina thanked Modi for the hospitality of the government and people of India, as the two leaders looked forward to continuing interactions at all levels. Read more: Hasina, Modi didn't talk about Bangladesh election: Momen

Bangladesh and India are likely to sign "four-five" bilateral documents during a virtual Summit between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Thursday.

Bangladesh and India will chart out plans to take the "rock-solid and historic" Dhaka-Delhi relations to the next level expanding areas of cooperation between the two countries with a number of engagements in December, officials say.

Music legend Pandit Jasraj passed away on Monday in the United States. He was 90.