Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman meets Indian Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, in Dhaka

NEW DELHI, Feb 20: India has signaled its intent to strengthen ties with Bangladesh following the swearing-in of the new BNP-led government earlier this week.

At a regular press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Bangladesh’s newly elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman shortly after his victory.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended the swearing-in ceremony and personally delivered a letter from Modi, reaffirming India’s support for a democratic, progressive, and inclusive Bangladesh. “Building on the warm and historic ties between the two countries, India looks forward to further strengthening our multifaceted bilateral relationship with Bangladesh,” Jaiswal said.

When asked about reports that India had stopped purchasing Russian oil, the spokesperson reiterated Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s previous clarification: India’s oil imports, whether from Russia or other sources, are guided by national interest, energy security, and diversification, rather than external pressures. On the possibility of importing oil from Venezuela, he said New Delhi could consider it if commercially viable.

Jaiswal also confirmed India’s participation as an observer at the Board of Peace meeting in Washington, D.C., and welcomed ongoing international initiatives for peace in Gaza, including efforts under UN Security Council Resolution 2803. India was represented at the meeting by Charge d’Affaires Namgya Khampa of the Indian Embassy in Washington.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today chaired the first meeting of his new BNP-led cabinet at the Bangladesh Secretariat. The session, which began at 3:00 pm, served as an introductory gathering where the Prime Minister exchanged pleasantries with cabinet members and outlined guidelines based on his party’s election manifesto, according to sources.

Tarique Rahman, who took oath as Bangladesh’s 11th Prime Minister five days after the BNP’s landslide victory in the February 12 parliamentary elections, was welcomed at the Secretariat by Cabinet Secretary Dr. Nasimul Ghani and Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar upon his arrival around 12:30 pm. Cabinet secretaries and newly sworn-in ministers attended the meeting, marking the formal start of the Prime Minister’s tenure at the Secretariat.