Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at Dhaka today on a two-day official visit to take part in the golden jubilee celebration of Bangladesh's independence and Mujib Borsho – birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina welcomed the Indian premier at the VVIP terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 11:00am this morning.

Red carpet was rolled out to welcome the Indian PM while he was given guard of honour.

Earlier in the morning, Narendra Modi left New Delhi for Dhaka on a special flight.

"PM @narendramodi emplanes for Dhaka. During his Bangladesh visit he will take part in a wide range of programmes aimed at furthering cooperation with our friendly neighbour," the India PMO tweeted, sharing a picture of Modi boarding the aircraft, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Modi yesterday said he will hold substantive discussions with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during the visit and expressed happiness that his first foreign tour after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic will be to a friendly neighbouring country with which India shares deep ties.

"The first visit by the PM since pandemic outbreak highlights the priority India attaches to Bangladesh," said the Indian External Affairs Ministry in a tweet.

"Our partnership with Bangladesh is an important pillar of our Neighbourhood First Policy, and we are committed to further deepen and diversify it. We will continue to support Bangladesh's remarkable development journey, under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's dynamic leadership," Modi tweeted last night, ahead of his Dhaka visit.

The Indian PM will pay tribute to the martyrs of the Liberation War at the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar today, and then visit the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi-32 in the capital to pay homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

In the afternoon, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will call on the Indian premier at Hotel Sonargaon.

Modi will also deliver a speech at celebrations at the National Parade Square this afternoon.

In the evening, PM Hasina and her Indian counterpart will visit Bapu-Bangabandhu Digital Museum at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

Tomorrow, Modi will visit Bangabandhu's mausoleum in Gopalganj's Tungipara and visit two temples -- Jashoreshwari Kali Temple in Shyamnagar of Satkhira and the other at Gopalganj's Orakandi, the birthplace of Harichand Thakur, the founder of the Matua community.

In the afternoon, the two premiers will hold a meeting at the Prime Minister's Office, according to the schedule of Narendra Modi's visit.

They will also inaugurate two commemorative stamps, marking the 50 years of diplomatic relationship between Bangladesh and India.

The two prime ministers will also inaugurate projects, including Bapu-Bangabandhu Digital Museum, Swadhinata Sarak- a road connecting India from Mujibnagar in Meherpur, and a passenger train on Chilahati-Haldibari rail route.

Indian PM Modi will hand over 109 ambulances and 12 lakh doses of AstraZeneca vaccine as gifts to Bangladesh.

Modi will also call on President Abdul Hamid at the Bangabhaban before flying back to India tomorrow evening.

Minister Momen said some MoUs will also be signed during the meeting, but he did not disclose the details.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the occasion of the historic March 7.

The prime minister placed wreaths at the portrait of the Father of the Nation in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi in the capital at 7:00am.

She first laid a wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu as the prime minister. After placing the wreath, she stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of Bangabandhu, the architect of independence.

At that time, the younger daughter of Bangabandhu, Sheikh Rehana, joined the prime minister.

Munajat was offered seeking the eternal peace of the great leader, his martyred family members, and millions of martyrs who made their supreme sacrifice for the country.

On this day in 1971, Bangabandhu through his fiery and soulful address made a clarion call to the people to fight against the Pakistani rulers to achieve long-cherished independence.

Before a rally of a million of freedom-loving people at the then Race Course Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan) on March 7 in 1971, Bangabandhu firmly declared, "the struggle this time is for our freedom, the struggle this time is for our independence".

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina yesterday criticised the BNP for allowing Jamaat candidates to contest the December 30 election with its symbol “sheaf of paddy”.

She said there was no place for the BNP-Jamaat men in Bangladesh as they were involved in killing people through arson attacks.

“There'll be no place for them on Bangladeshi soil as the smell of charred human bodies still comes out from the symbol of 'sheaf of paddy'. Please be aware of them!” Hasina told an election rally arranged by Pirganj upazila AL at Pirganj Government High School ground.

The PM joined the rally after offering fateha at the grave of her husband Dr MA Wazed Miah, an eminent nuclear scientist, who was from Pirganj.

Earlier in the day, Hasina also addressed another rally in Rangpur's Taraganj.

In Pirganj, the AL chief urged all to vote for her party for the sake of the country's development and prosperity.

She said the next election is very important and asked people to cast their votes in favour of boat, the AL's electoral symbol. “I do believe the wind is now at the sail of boat ... the victory of boat is sure.”

Recalling the miserable days of 2014 and 2015 when the BNP-Jamaat was involved in killing people through arson attacks, she said those who killed people in such a way are not human beings, but just devils. 

Hasina said BNP chief Khaleda Zia embezzled orphans' money while her son had been convicted of money laundering, arms smuggling and the August 21 grenade attack. 

“What development will be done by the convicted fugitive; what type of welfare will they do for the country? The people of the country need to be aware of them.”

The PM said whenever the AL comes to power, the welfare of people is ensured.

She said the government had taken steps for the employment of the youths. “Using their potential, we'll take the country towards prosperity. We'll build poverty-and hunger-free Bangladesh as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.”

Introducing the AL candidate for the next general election from Pirganj, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Hasina said, “She's my daughter; I'm handing my daughter to you ... you'll cast votes in favour of me, but the name will be Shirin Sharmin.”

Briefly describing various development programmes of her government in the last 10 years, she said the government has numerous plans for the coming days to make the county a developed one.  

Hundreds of Awami League supporters have gathered on college premises in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur where Awami League President Sheikh Hasina will hold an election rally to seek vote for “boat”. Photo: Collected

Speaker Shirin Sharmin, AL central leaders Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman, Ahammad Hossain, BM Mozammel, AFM Bahauddin Nasim and Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Rangpur district AL acting president Momtaz Uddin Ahmed, Jubo League President Omar Faruk Chowdhury and Chhatra League President Redwanul Haque Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the rally.

Pirganj upazila AL acting president Azizur Rahman Ranga presided over the programme. 

Pirganj Upazila Parishad Chairman Nur Mohammad Mandal, who recently joined the AL, quitting the BNP Pirganj upazila president post, also spoke on the occasion.

TARAGANJ RALLY

Addressing another campaign rally at Taraganj Government Degree College ground, Hasina urged the people of Rangpur region to cast their votes for “boat” to complete the unfinished projects taken for the development of the northern region.

“For the overall development of this region, we've taken so many projects ... we've taken steps so that every road of this area is developed ... we've to complete those work and for that we need your votes for 'boat'.”

Taraganj upazila AL organised the rally with its president Atiar Rahman in the chair.

Introducing local AL candidate (Rangpur-2) Abul Kalam Md Ahsanul Haque Chowdhury, she called upon all to cast their votes for her party to give it another chance to serve them. “Please, vote for our candidates so that we can work for you.”

Remembering the miserable days when Rangpur was infamous for “Manga” (famine), Hasina said the situation had changed here when her party formed the government in 2009 after the 2008 election.

She said the government had introduced cards for farmers so that they could get their subsidy easily. “We've ensured fertilizers, seeds, irrigation for agricultural production as well as ensured fair price for their produce.”

The PM said every inch of the country's cultivable land would be utilised so that food security of the country was never endangered and “Manga” never staged a comeback.

Hasina also spoke at a number of roadside rallies in Dinajpur before leaving for Dhaka at night.

Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, inset, addresses a large gathering at a rally at the grounds of Pirganj Govt High School in Rangpur. Photo: PID

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday vowed to bring home BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman from London to execute court verdicts on him.

“There is a person who is playing games from London. He is a convicted criminal. If Allah gives us the scope, we will bring home that convicted criminal and execute the verdicts on Bangladesh's soil. We will not allow anyone to play with the fate of the country's people,” she said. 

The PM was addressing a mammoth election rally, organised by Sylhet district and city Awami League, at Government Alia Madrasa ground. 

Hasina alleged that Tarique, elder son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, was conspiring against the country.

A special court this year sentenced Tarique to life imprisonment in the August 21 grenade attack cases. Besides, the High Court handed him 10 year's jail term in a graft case.

The PM said Bangladesh earned recognition from around the world as her successive governments in the last 10 years implemented numerous development projects for the welfare of the country and its people.

“Bangladesh will march forward with this honour and recognition. This honour must not be allowed to be lost. That's why we need your votes in favour of 'boat'.” 

Hasina blasted the BNP for giving nominations to “war criminals”. She alleged that the party auctioned nominations to earn money from the nomination seekers.

“Being frustrated with the party's attitude, senior BNP leader and former ambassador Inam Ahmed Chowdhury has joined the Awami League,” she said.

The PM lamented that former finance minister SAMS Kibria's son Reza Kibria was contesting the national election from Habiganj-1 with BNP's electoral symbol “sheaf of paddy”. “Nothing could be more deplorable than this.”

The AL chief said the former BNP-Jamaat government had portrayed Bangladesh “as a country of corruption, militancy and terrorism”. 

She alleged that the state of emergency was proclaimed in the country in 2008 due to the misdeeds of the BNP-Jamaat clique. In the name of resisting the election in 2014, they had unleashed a reign of terror by carrying out arson attacks and killing people, she told the meeting.

Hasina said the Sylhet-Dhaka highway would be turned into a four-lane one and Sylhet city would be provided with all the facilities of a divisional city.

She said the Sylhet international airport would be extended further and each district of the Sylhet division would have a university.

The AL president also introduced the party and grand alliance candidates in Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Sunamganj and Habiganj before the audience.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, AL joint secretaries Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman, organising secretaries Ahmed Hossain, AFM Bahauddin Nasim and Misbahuddin Siraj, Jubo League Chairman Omar Faruk Chowdhury and AL candidate for Sylhet-1 AK Abdul Momen also spoke at the rally, chaired by Sylhet AL acting president Lutfar Rahman. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the President of Awami League, will formally inaugurate the election campaign of the ruling party from Tungipara on December 12.

Jahangir Kabir Nanok, joint general secretary of the party, came up with the information at a press briefing at the party's chief's Dhanmondi political office on Monday.

He said the Prime Minister will go to Tungipara in Gopalganj on Wednesday morning (Dec 12) by road. She will start the formal election campaign after paying tributes to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at his graveyard.

The Prime Minister will also address a rally at her own constituency while another rally at Kotalipara at noon, the AL leader said.

Sheikh Hasina will also travel different parts of the country as part of her hectic electioneering, Nanok added.