New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tribute to Bangladesh founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his 101st birth anniversary and termed him a ”champion” of human rights and freedom.
“My heartfelt homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a champion of human rights and freedom, on his birth anniversary. He is a hero for all Indians too. It will be my honour to visit Bangladesh later this month for the historic #MujibBorsho celebrations,” the Prime Minister wrote on Twitter.
Rahman served as the first President of Bangladesh and later as the Prime Minister for four years until his assassination on August 15, 1975.
Dubbed with the title of “Bangabandhu”, meaning friend of Bengal, Rahman, is considered as the central figure behind the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 through which the nation gained independence.
The Prime Minister will be visiting Bangladesh on March 26 and 27 at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
This visit is in connection 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. Mr Modi had last visited Bangladesh in 2015.