Gandhi Prize for Bangabandhu set positive tone for Modi’s Dhaka visit

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s March 26-27 visit to Dhaka, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, revered as Father of the Nation in Bangladesh, has been conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize, kindling positive sentiments in Bangladesh ahead of Delhi-Dhaka talks. In his message, PM Modi described Mujibur Rahman as “one of the greatest leaders of our subcontinent. “He remains an icon of indomitable courage and tireless struggle for his millions of admirers,” he said.   The Bangladesh foreign ministry called it a “befitting” tribute to the “ever-deepening” Bangladesh-India relations and expressed honour for Bangladesh and its people for the Father of the Nation to be bestowed with this prestigious award. PM Modi’s visit to Bangladesh coincides with the commemoration of three epochal events – Mujib Borsho, the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh; and 50 years of Bangladesh’s war of liberation. PM Modi is set to inaugurate Bangabandhu Bapu digital exhibition during his visit to Bangladesh. Mujibur Rahman has been conferred the award in recognition of his outstanding contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods.“The Gandhi Peace Prize recognizes the immense and unparalleled contribution of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in inspiring the liberation of Bangladesh, bringing stability to a nation born out of strife, laying the foundation for the close and fraternal relations between India and Bangladesh, and promoting peace and non-violence in the Indian subcontinent,” the India’s Culture Ministry said in a statement. The prestigious award is instituted by the Indian government since 1995, the 125th birth anniversary commemoration year of Mahatma Gandhi. The late Sultan of Oman Qaboos Bin Said Al Said was the recipient of this prize for the year 2019.