19-member AL team to visit India tomorrow

A 19-member delegation of the ruling Awami League-led by its General Secretary Obaidul Quader is going to India tomorrow at the invitation of the Indian ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

This is for the first time, a high-level political interaction is going to take place between the two ruling parties of both the countries months before the national elections of Bangladesh, slated for December this year.

During the visit, the Awami League delegation is scheduled to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his parliament office around 4:15pm on Monday.

The delegation will meet BJP President Amit Shah in the evening on the same day before attending a dinner to be hosted by BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav, reports our Delhi Correspondent.

Besides, the AL team will also meet Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday morning.

In honor of the delegation, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali will host a dinner party for the Awami League leaders.

Obaidul Quader, also minister for road transport and bridges, held a press conference at the party President  Sheikh Hasina's Dhanmondi political office in Dhaka and briefed the media in this regard.

“It’s a party to party programme. India is more than a neighbour. Relationship between the two countries will be strengthened further through the tour,” he said without elaborating further details of the tour.

Responding to a query, the Awami League general secretary said, “There is a beauty of Indian democracy that the country never interferes internal affairs of the other countries.”

During the tour, Quader will be accompanied by Awami League leaders Pijush Kanti Bhattacharya, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Abdur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Ahmod Hossain, Misbah Uddin Siraj, AFM  Bahauddin Nasim, AKM Enamul Haque Shamim, Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury Nowfel, Abdus Sobhan Golap, Shammi Ahmed, Mrinal Kanti Das, Abdus Sobur, Rokeya Sultana, Sujit Roynandi, Aminul Islam Amin and Golam Kabir Rabbani Chinu.

The delegation is scheduled return home on Tuesday.