After 9 yrs, Mamata meets B'desh envoy at Nabanna
met Bangladesh high commissioner to India M Riaz Hamidullah at Nabanna on Monday, for nearly 40 minutes.
This marked the first such interaction since 2016, when Syed Muazzem Ali, the then Bangladesh high commissioner, had met the CM.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Despite attempts by subsequent envoys, meetings did not materialise.
Chief secretary Manoj Pant attended Monday's meeting along with Bangladesh's acting deputy high commissioner in Kolkata, Sikder Mohammad Ashrafur Rahman. Nabanna officials remained reserved about the meeting's details and Hamidullah was unavailable for comment.
Hamidullah posted on X: "Paid a courtesy call on CM of West Bengal in Kolkata.
She reflected on deeper Bangladesh-India connects and need to strengthen ties in shared interests in mutually beneficial ways."
The Bangladesh deputy high commission released a statement describing it as a courtesy meeting. "Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee expressed her hope to the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India, Riaz Hamidullah, at her office in Nabanna, to strengthen the traditional ties between the people of Bengal and Bangladesh.
During the cordial and warm courtesy meeting, the CM requested the High Commissioner to convey her greetings to Bangladesh's chief advisor Professor Dr Yunus and the people of Bangladesh.
This was the first courtesy meeting of the newly appointed High Commissioner of Bangladesh with any chief minister of India. During the meeting, the CM noted that the enduring linguistic, cultural and shared values-based spiritual connection between the people of Bengal and Bangladesh goes beyond economic and commercial relations.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
She expressed her commitment to maintaining her communication with Bangladesh in the future," it said.
The meeting took place in the backdrop of recent tensions following the vandalism of
's historic 'Kachhari Bari' at Sirajganj two weeks ago. The Nobel laureate had close links with the Sirajganj house as he used to visit this place frequently.
Banerjee sent a strongly worded letter to PM Narendra Modi on June 12, requesting intervention with the Bangladesh govt. In her letter, she said: "I would urge you to kindly take up the matter very strongly with the neighbouring country's govt, so that no stone is left unturned to swiftly bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous and mindless act. Although untold damage has already been done, a strong international protest would at least deter in future any attack on monuments of cultural legacies that have withstood steadfastly all tests of time.
"
Diplomatic sources indicated that Hamidullah may have explained the actual circumstances of the vandalism to the CM, as Dhaka had previously said that it was a local law enforcement matter.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Rajnath reaches out to DMK, TMC, BJD for consensus on VP nominee
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh attempted Monday to garner broader support for NDA vice-presidential candidate C P Radhakrishnan, speaking to Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin over the phone, and to former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik (BJD), to seek their support for a consensus. Singh also called up former Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy whose YSRCP, with 11 MPs, has pledged to back the NDA candidate. He had earlier, it is understood, reached out to Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee (TMC). In Mumbai, CM Devendra Fadnavis appealed to state "regional parties, in particular Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar's NCP", to vote for Radhakrishnan. Shiv Sena has six LS MPs and the NCP (SP) group has 10. Both parties are part of INDIA bloc. "Not only is he governor of Maharashtra, he is also a voter from the state. He may originally be from Tamil Nadu but he is a voter from Mumbai and has voted in the last assembly election. While filing his nomination he will be mentioning that he is a voter from Mumbai," said Fadnavis, asking "Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar, for whom Marathi asmita is important, to forget party differences" on this issue. Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, meanwhile, said while the party welcomed Radhakrishnan's nomination since he was Maharashtra governor, it would go by the INDIA bloc's collective decision. However, Raut pointed out that his party chief, Uddhav Thackeray, was of the view that such constitutional posts should not be politicised and any nominee should be elected unopposed. Since the INDIA bloc doesn't have the numbers to win the VP polls, Raut said, attention shouldn't be diverted from core issues like 'vote chori', voter list manipulation and SIR in Bihar by having a contest in VP polls. He indicated that a contest for VP may not be worth the fight. C P Radhakrishnan, who is Maharashtra's governor, called on PM Modi and other BJP functionaries Monday, ahead of his interaction with NDA floor leaders later in the day. A day after his candidacy was announced, Radhakrishnan arrived in Delhi and was received by Union ministers Pralhad Joshi & Kiren Rijiju. In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, "Met Thiru CP Radhakrishnan ji. Conveyed my best wishes on his being the NDA's VP nominee. His long years of public service and experience across domains will greatly enrich our nation. May he continue to serve with the same dedication and resolve he has always demonstrated (sic)." Later that day, Radhakrishnan, whose election is considered a formality due to NDA's majority, was felicitated by NDA floor leaders at the residence of Pralhad Joshi, where he will stay until the poll. He is also expected to attend the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting on Tuesday. Radhakrishnan is likely to file his nomination papers Wednesday in the presence of top NDA leaders, including CMs from states governed by the alliance. BJP congratulated Radhakrishnan on his nomination and thanked PM Modi for selecting a candidate from the OBC category. The Vice-Presidential election is scheduled for Sept 9. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar welcomed BJP's decision and said JD(U) would support Radhakrishnan. TDP's Nara Lokesh also extended his party's support to Radhakrishnan.
Economic Times
2 hours ago
- Economic Times
Vladimir Putin dials PM Modi, briefs him on Alaska summit
Synopsis Narendra Modi received a call from Vladimir Putin on Monday. Putin briefed Modi on his meeting with Donald Trump in Alaska. Modi reiterated India's support for peaceful resolution through dialogue. They discussed strengthening the India-Russia partnership. Modi and Putin may meet at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. India welcomed the Alaska summit, commending their pursuit of peace. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a telephone call on Monday from Russian President Vladimir Putin who briefed the Indian leader on his assessment of his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska last thanking Putin, the prime minister underlined India's consistent position for a peaceful resolution of the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue. He reiterated that India supports all efforts in this regard, it has been was the second telephone conversation between Modi and Putin in just over 10 days while the USA pushes ahead with criticising India for buying Russian oil. The two leaders also touched upon issues of bilateral cooperation to strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia, according to persons familiar with the development. The two leaders agreed to remain in close touch. "Thank my friend, President Putin, for his phone call and for sharing insights on his recent meeting with President Trump in Alaska. India has consistently called for a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and supports all efforts in this regard. I look forward to our continued exchanges in the days to come," Modi wrote on X after the telephone call. It is understood that Modi and Putin could meet on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation during August 31-September 1, which would be their first in-person meeting this Saturday, India had welcomed the Summit meeting in Alaska and noted that their leadership in the pursuit of peace is highly commendable.
Economic Times
2 hours ago
- Economic Times
Indian drugmakers seek exemption for generics from US supplies probe
Mumbai: A US government probe into pharmaceutical imports and their implications on national security must exclude generic drugs from its purview, a business delegation from the Indian pharmaceutical industry told Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal at a meeting held last local industry's contention assumes significance in the backdrop of the impending India-US bilateral trade agreement and the uncertainty over reciprocal tariffs being imposed by the US government. So far, the US has exempted pharmaceutical imports from the proposed tariffs of 50%, half of which are to kick in on August 27. Experts said that the issues related to supplies of medicines from India to the US are critical given the plans of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit China for the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting later this month in Tianjin. In April, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, 1962, the US government had initiated an investigation into imports of medicines to the country, sparking concerns over potential supply chain disruptions and pricing volatility there. The law grants authority to the US President to impose restrictions on such imports if those are deemed to threaten US national security. People familiar with the mater told ET that the meeting with the pharmaceutical industry was called by the commerce ministry to discuss a range of issues, including ways to tackle abrupt disruptions and to strengthen the industry with closer attention to new research and innovation. A note in May from global consulting firm EY said that historically, Section 232 has been used to justify tariffs on steel, aluminium and automobiles.
