Hamid Ansari leaves for two day visit to Bangladesh

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Hamid Ansari along with his wife Salma Ansari and foreign minister of Bangladesh Dipu Moni at Dhaka Airport- PTI

Vice-president Hamid Ansari on Thursday left for a two-day state visit to Bangladesh where he will represent India during the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in Dhaka.

Minister of state for external affairs Preneet Kaur and two Members of Parliament — O.P. Mathur of BJP and Moinul Hassan of CPI (M) — are accompanying the vice-president.

During the state visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in January, 2010, the two sides had agreed to oversee the joint celebrations together.

Ansari's visit will be the first visit to Bangladesh by an Indian leader after Hasina visited India in 2010.

The celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of Tagore will begin at the Banga Bandhu International Convention Centre on Friday where various troupes will present a series of cultural programmes, including short dramas and music shows.

In Dhaka, Ansari will call on Bangladesh President Md Zillur Rahman and hold meetings with Prime Minister Hasina and foreign minister Dipu Moni.

Leader of the Opposition Khalida Zia will also call on the vice-president.

Ansari will also visit the the National Mausoleum at Savar and the Bangabandhu Museum on Thursday.

The Bangabandhu Museum is the house of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. It contains rare collection of personal effects and photographs of his lifetime.

Bangladesh planning minister A.K. Khandker will attend the inauguration of the Nobel Laureate's 150th birth anniversary celebrations in India on Sunday.

Since Prime Minister Hasina's visit to India, considerable progress has been made by the two neighbours in many areas, including signing of a billion-dollar line of credit India has extended to Dhaka.

The two sides have also signed a MoU on border haats (markets). While India has designated Ashuganj, Bangladesh has designated Shilghat as their respective ports of call.

This visit will be useful in taking stock of the progress made in various fields.

Bangladesh is the largest trading partner of India in the Saarc region.