"Had Sheikh Mujibur Rehman Not Been Assassinated...": PM Modi's Op-Ed

India and Bangladesh have made good progress in connectivity, says the PM, referring to plans like Bangladeshi barges travelling all the way to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today began a two-day trip to Bangladesh, his first foreign visit after the coronavirus pandemic broke out. In a special op-ed published in leading Bangladesh newspaper The Daily Star ahead of the visit, PM Modi writes about a joint march towards a golden future where people could "study, work, do business effortlessly across the subcontinent". He also talks about resolving complex bilateral issues "in a spirit of good neighbourliness". India and Bangladesh have made good progress in connectivity, says the PM, referring to plans like Bangladeshi barges travelling all the way to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. "Cargo from Bangladesh can move to Nepal and Bhutan through India. We are in the process of implementing a similar arrangement for Indian cargo to reach India's North Eastern States through Bangladesh. We are making concerted efforts to operationalise our inland waterways, which will allow Bangladesh barges to reach all the way to Varanasi and Sahibganj in India." He talks about the completion of projects like the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline and the Akhaura-Agartala rail link.