Gift Diplomacy: Hasina brings bagful of presents for Indian leaders

Call it gift diplomacy, if you will. India-Bangladesh ties are getting sweeter and closer, and this is reflected in an array of gifts Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasin has brought for her Indian hosts. Sheikh Hasina brought with her a bouquet of gifts for President Pranab Mukherjee with whom shares close ties since long, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his mother and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee whose support she desperately needs to clinch the much-delayed Teesta river water-sharing agreement. Sheikh Hasina handed over a kurta and a pair of silk pyjamas, artefacts, a dinner set, a leather bag set, 4kg of kala jamun and rosgolla, 2kg sandesh made of ‘goor’ , 20kg of Hilsa and 2kg of ‘mishti doi’(yogurt) for the Indian president, who is hosting the visiting PM at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for four days, on the evening of April 9. There is also a silk saree as gift for the President’s daughter Sharmista Mukherjee, said two officials in the Bangladesh PMO.During a call-on with India’s Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansar on April 8, Mrs Hasina presented him a dinner set, a leather bag, 2kg rosgolla and kala jamun and 1kg sandesh. For Mr Modi, Mrs Hasina has brought a leather office bag set, kala jamun and rosogolla, sandesh  and yogurt. She is to gift the famous silk saree from Rajshahi, a district in northern Bangladesh,  for the Indian PM’s mother. Mamata Banerjee received a Banarasi saree, rosogolla and kala jamun, sandesh and yogurt from Hasina when the West Bengal CM called on her on April 8. A silver boat (election symbol of Hasina’s ruling Awami League party) each for Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, State Minister for External Affairs V K Singh and Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Babul Supriyo was also handed over. Mr Supriyo is the minister-in-waiting for Sheikh Hasina during her four-day visit to India, which will end on April 10.