Bangabandhu, an icon of democracy: Modi

Paying homage to Bangladesh’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today termed him as an “icon of democracy” and “a great friend of India”.

The visiting Indian premier made the remark in a tweet he posted while paying homage to Bangabandhu, whom he also termed as a “towering personality”, at Bangabandhu Bhaban in Dhanmondi after visiting the National Memorial in Savar earlier in the day.

“Bangabandhu lived here from 1961 till his assassination on the night of 14-15 August 1975,” Modie tweeted with a photograph taken inside the house.

There, he placed wreaths at the portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and also visited Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.

Narendra Modi visits Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi-32 in Dhaka on Saturday. Photo: Twitter/ @PMOIndia

Posting several pictures, he wrote on his Twitter account: “Pictures from the house where history was scripted by Bangabandhu.”

Earlier, Modi paid homage to martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War at the National Memorial at Savar on the outskirts of the capital.

Top officials who flew in with him here and officials at Indian high commission here accompanied him to the war memorial.

“Foundation Stone for Jatiyo Smriti Shoudho was laid by Bangabandhu himself. Design was chosen from various entries obtained in a competition,” reads another Tweet of the Indian premier.

He went there immediately after landing at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka around 10:10am by a special aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

“Memorial gives impression of rising from the ashes like a phoenix. It symbolises courage & determination of people,” he wrote in another tweet.

This is Modi's first Bangladesh trip after he took over as the prime minister of India following the landslide victory of his party – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – in Indian election last year.