Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque has said the relations between India and Bangladesh are very much deep and it will remain intact in the coming days.
“Although India is a comparatively bigger country in terms of its economic and geographic area nonetheless the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India are very much deep,” he said.
The minister was addressing a discussion titled “Bangabandhu, Bangladesh and Sheikh Hasina” held at the Rotary Sadan auditorium in Kolkata, India on Sunday evening as the chief guest.
As part of the Bangabandhu Foundation’s campaign to spread the ideology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman globally along with the development programmes and progress unleashed by the incumbent Awami League government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the last 14 years, its Indian chapter arranged the programme at the Indian cultural capital Kolkata.
Recalling India’s cooperation during the Liberation War, Razzaque said, “Our neighbouring country India helped in the Liberation War in Bangladesh and India sacrificed a lot and participated in the war staying beside us.”
“Both countries like India and Bangladesh are interdependent considering in all spheres,” he told the function.
Cabinet Minister in Charge for Co-operations of the Government of West Bengal Arup Roy inaugurated the programme while Nazrul Islam Babu, MP, Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Kolkata Andalib Elias and President of Kolkata Press Club Snehasish Sur also spoke as special guests.
Mashiur Malek, founder of Bangabandhu Foundation and its executive president, spoke at the function as the key discussant.
Condemning the anti-liberation forces, including BNP and Jamaat, Razzaque said a particular nation usually survives based on the real history of the nation, but these evil forces were involved in distorting history in a planned way for the last 21 years from 1975 to 1996.
Referring to various development programmes during the last 14 years, the agriculture minister said the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has done excellent progress in different socio-economic indexes.
“We are self-sufficient in cereal production since 2015, our poverty has come down to 20 per cent from 40 per cent and tremendous success has come in various sectors,” he added.
Chaired by Mir MM Shamim, president of Bangabandhu Foundation’s Indian chapter, the function was also attended, among others, by Radhakanta Sarkar, general secretary of Bishwa Banga Sahitya and Cultural Conference, foundation’s India chapter general secretary Mozammel Hossen, senior vice-president journalist Anwarul Huq Bhuiyan, intercontinental coordinator Aboni Kumar Ghosh and noted personalities from India and Bangladesh.
