Lok Sabha speaker to represent India at swearing-in ceremony of Tarique Rahman as Bangladesh PM

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will travel to Bangladesh to represent India at the swearing-in ceremony of Tarique Rahman as the country’s prime minister, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.

Rahman, the chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, will take oath on February 17. An alliance led by the party swept the parliamentary elections held on February 12, winning 212 out of 299 constituencies. An alliance led by the Jamaat-e-Islami emerged as the main Opposition with 77 seats.

This was the first national election since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government was ousted in 2024.

After the Bangladesh Nationalist Party won the election, it had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with the heads of government of 12 other countries, for Rahman’s swearing-in ceremony. However, Modi has meetings scheduled with French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai on February 17, The Indian Express reported.

The Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday that Birla’s participation in the oath-taking ceremony “underscores the deep and enduring friendship between the peoples of India and Bangladesh, reaffirming India's steadfast commitment to the democratic values that bind our two nations”.

The foreign ministry further said: “As neighbours united by a shared history, culture, and mutual respect, India welcomes Bangladesh's transition to an elected government under the leadership of H.E. Mr. Tarique Rahman, whose vision and values have received an overwhelming mandate of the people.”

On Friday, Modi was the first national leader to congratulate Rahman on his party’s victory. In a social media post, he “reaffirmed India’s continued commitment to the peace, progress and prosperity of both our peoples”.

Ties between New Delhi and Dhaka have been strained since Hasina fled to India in August 2024 after several weeks of widespread student-led protests against her Awami League government. She had been in power for 16 years.

After her ouster, Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus took over as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government. With the elections now complete, the interim government’s term will come to an end.

Bangladesh wants to reset ties with India: Rahman aide

Humayun Kabir, adviser to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief, told PTI that with Hasina no longer in power, his country now wants to reset ties with India, and said that both countries should work together for mutual benefit. However, he asserted: “The change has to come from the mindset in India.”

Kabir urged India to ensure that its territory is not used by Hasina or other Awami League leaders in ways that could hurt Bangladesh’s stability, PTI reported.

Bangladesh has been demanding that India extradite Hasina after a tribunal in that country sentenced her to death for alleged crimes against humanity. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal held Hasina guilty of having ordered a deadly crackdown on the protests against her government.