Modi to receive Bangladesh honour on behalf of Vajpayee

Vajpayee, who has been keeping an indifferent health will not be able to visit Bangladesh to receive the award for himself.

The Friends of Bangladesh Liberation War Award initiated by the ruling Awami League government has been conferred upon 226 Indians so far, including president Pranab Mukherjee, during his 2013 Dhaka visit.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi also received the highest award Bangladesh Freedom Honour on behalf of her  mother-in-law and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 2011 for her support to Bangladesh’s freedom movement.

Reports said  Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has  also approved a proposal to honour the families of the members of Indian armed forces for sacrificing their lives for  Bangladesh's independence in 1971

Reports said Dhaka decided to send each of  the martyrs' family a  letter  and a certificate to be signed by the Bangladesh Prime Minister.

Modi,who will be in Bangladesh on June 6 and 7 will first pay homage to freedom fighters and martyred soldiers of the 1971 Liberation War at the National Monument (Jatiya Smriti Shaudha).

He will also pay homage to Bangladesh’s Founding Father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing floral wreaths at Bangabandhu Bhaban in Dhaka's Dhamandond area. 

He will l hold official talks with his counterpart Sheikh Hasina on different bilateral and regional issues with a special focus on trade and cooperation on counter terrorism.

During his 36-hour trip, Modi will meet Bangladeshi president Abdul Hamid.

 Leader of the opposition in parliament Begum Rawshan Ershad will call on Modi.

Apart from these, several agreements on trade, connectivity, $2 billion Line of Credit (LoC) and cooperation in power supply are expected to be signed during Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s Dhaka visit.

The two prime ministers are expected to sign a protocol on the historic Land Boundary Agreement to resolve the decades- long  border crisis between Bangladesh and India.

Both the Premiers are expected to flag off a Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala bus service and announce other services from Dhaka to Guwahati, Agartala and Shillong.

The Teesta water sharing issue is likely to come up during discussion between the two Prime Ministers, though India has said that the deal will not be signed during Modi's visit awaiting the opinion of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The PM Will visit the Dhakeshwari temple in Dhaka city on June 7 and will inaugurate the Indian High Commission’s Chancery in the diplomatic enclave.

He will address civil society members, intellectuals, political leaders and dignitaries at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre before flying back home.