‘Tarique’s India visit is his call’
Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi said on Wednesday that any decision on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to India was entirely up to the Bangladesh prime minister, as Dhaka and New Delhi seek to maintain friendly and people-centred ties.
Asked whether the current political environment was favourable for Rahman to visit India, Trivedi said the decision should be left to the prime minister himself.
“It completely depends on the prime minister. He is a very intelligent person and a leader of the people. So I think it should be left to the prime minister,” Trivedi told reporters.
The Indian envoy was speaking after paying a courtesy call on Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Hafiz Uddin and Deputy Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal.
Trivedi said India and Bangladesh remained committed to issues affecting their peoples and would take whatever steps were necessary to maintain friendly relations.
The comments come as Bangladesh seeks to advance its national interests while maintaining constructive relations with neighbouring India.
Asked about democracy and the role of dialogue, Trivedi said discussion was an essential and continuing part of democratic politics.
“There is no end to discussions in a democracy. If the discussion ends, then it is not democracy,” he said.
Describing dialogue as similar to a flowing river, he referred to the Ganga and the Padma, saying they had no end and continued to flow.
“Discussion is like a flowing river. There are the Ganga and the Padma; they have no end and keep flowing,” he said.
He further compared democratic discussion with the flow of a river or the ocean, saying it would not stop.
“I am hopeful and confident that this is the process of democracy, and this process will continue forever,” Trivedi said.
The high commissioner also said the Speaker and Deputy Speaker had been invited to visit India.
The invitation comes amid efforts to sustain parliamentary and institutional engagement between the two neighbouring countries, with both sides highlighting dialogue and people-centric cooperation as important elements of bilateral relations.
