South Asia
Bangabandhu | India-Bangladesh For us in India, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is iconic: India's External Affairs Minister
Dhaka, September 8: India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has hailed Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as iconic to the south Asian country.
"For us in India, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is iconic- a man of action, courage and conviction. He is as revered and remembered in India, as he is in Bangladesh. As Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has said, Bangabandhu is our national hero too," Jaishakar said at the award ceremony of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Student Scholarship on Wednesday.
"As a mark of respect to him, both countries have also commissioned a Biopic on him, which is nearing completion," he added.
Here is the Indian External Affairs Minister's full speech:
Your Excellency, Sheikh Hasina, Hon’ble Prime Minister of People’s Republic of Bangladesh,
Dignitaries on the Dais;
Recipients of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Student Scholarship,
Family members of our armed forces,
Distinguished guests,
It is an honour for me to be present here today, in the presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as she confers the first-ever Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Student Scholarships on the direct descendants of soldiers, officers of Armed Forces of India who were martyred or critically wounded during the historic Liberation war of 1971.
On behalf of the Government and people of India, I thank you, Prime Minister for your gracious and generous gesture.
Prime Minister, under your and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s visionary leadership, India-Bangladesh relations have taken great strides forward in ways that have not only shaped the contemporary but also the future trajectory of the partnership in mind.
At the same time, we all know that all relations naturally rest on the historical foundations. The relationship between our two countries are in many ways a continuation of the bonds that were forged in blood, fifty years ago. Today, as we remember that time, we honour the iconic symbol of the historic 1971 Liberation War, a statesman, who liberated from oppression, the spirit of a brave people and brought forth a nation.
For us in India, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is iconic- a man of action, courage and conviction. He is as revered and remembered in India, as he is in Bangladesh. As Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has said, Bangabandhu is our national hero too. As a mark of respect to him, both countries have also commissioned a Biopic on him, which is nearing completion.
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
India is privileged to have played a role in Bangladesh’s struggle for independence, one of the great movements in contemporary history. When the war started in 1971, our Armed Forces stood by the people of Bangladesh in their struggle. Their relationship with the Mukti Bahini is a story that all of you know well. We lost many of our brave men and officers in these operations. I pay, today, deep homage not only to that generation of Bangladesh, but to our valiant men and officers who gave their lives for the liberation of others.
For many years, Muktijoddhas have acted as a bridge between our two countries. That bond is now reaffirmed as the families of our war veterans and of those who made supreme sacrifices in the Liberation War, gather here today. The decision of the Government of Bangladesh to award Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Student Scholarships is a testament of how the Liberation War of 1971 continues to inspire our bilateral relationship.
To the young people who are receiving this scholarship, I would like to offer my congratulations and best wishes for your promising future. You inherit a brave and historic legacy. Please honour and cherish it. As you will move ahead in life, you will be the custodian of the memory of that epochal war that gave birth to a new nation. So, do well and be true to everything that you do. That would be one of the finest tributes to a heroic leader in whose name, you receive this scholarship today.
Once again, I thank you Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ji for this generous gesture of her Government. It is truly a symbol of our unique history.
Thank you!
Jai Hind! Joy Bangla!
