"Bangladesh Scripted A Whole New Destiny For Themselves": Sonia Gandhi

Recalling the role Indira Gandhi played in the liberation of Bangladesh, she said the bond between the people of the two countries was in large measure due to the contribution of the late Indian prime minister.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi Friday congratulated Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the birth centenary of ''Bangabandhu'' Sheikh Mujibur Rehman and said 1971 was a transformative year for both the countries. Recalling the role Indira Gandhi played in the liberation of Bangladesh, she said the bond between the people of the two countries was in large measure due to the contribution of the late Indian prime minister. In her video message to both Ms Hasina and Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid, Sonia Gandhi also said that the two countries face multiple challenges on the economic, political and environmental fronts but most of all the challenge of preserving "liberal pluralism". "Most of all both Bangladesh and India, which have been beacons for the celebration of diversities, are being called upon to protect and strengthen their composite heritage and their glorious traditions of liberal pluralism," she said.