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Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen did not accompany Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her India visit citing his "illness."
"He (FM) is feeling unwell. He didn't go with PM," an official told UNB on Monday.
At the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladesh counterpart Hasina is paying a state visit to New Delhi from September 5 to 8.
Foreign Minister Momen briefed the media on Sunday afternoon at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in detail about PM's India visit and was scheduled to accept her.
Responding to a question from reporters at the secretariat about cancellation of Momen' s India visit, Education Minister Dipu Moni said anybody can be dropped from any tour anytime due to the current Covid situation.
She said she remains worried always before their meetings with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina or attending Parliament sessions whether the Covid-19 test comes positive or negative.
"We are now in such a situation (due to Covid-19)," Dipu Moni said, adding that there is no scope for her to know the reason at this moment if anybody did not go with the Prime Minister.
"Language is a dangerous thing. You said (he's) dropped. If the reason is known you can tell whether he was dropped or he couldn't go due to certain reason," Dipu Moni added.
Hasina, now in New Delhi, is visiting India after three years since she last visited in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was warmly welcomed by Indian Minister of State for Railways and Textiles Darshana Jardosh on her arrival in New Delhi for a four-day state visit.
The visit is significant for both Bangladesh and India, said the government of Bangladesh.
The visit will further strengthen the multifaceted relationship between the two countries based on strong historical and cultural ties and mutual trust and understanding, said the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.
