GUWAHATI: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has said that India’s relationship with Bangladesh is based on shared culture, heritage, literature and language and that the ongoing India-Bangladesh stakeholders meet here would further boost ties between the neighbouring nations.
Addressing the the inaugural day of the meet here on Tuesday, Sonowal said that the priority for the government was to strengthen the relationship between the two nations.
“The bond that the people of Assam share with Bangladesh is full of warmth and affection. Legendary singer Dr Bhupen Hazarika’s song ‘Ganga Amar Ma, Padma Amar Ma…’ perfectly symbolises the inseparable bondage of identity and cultural bonhomie of people across the border,” he said.
“Equally remarkable is Dr. Hazarika’s song, “Joy Joy Nabajato Bangladesh”, which he wrote on the emergence of Bagladesh as a sovereign republic. This song speaks volumes about the profoundness of feelings of the people of Assam towards Bangladesh. Similarly, in the field of art and culture, the names that instantly come to our mind are Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and legendary singer Runa Laila. Their songs and poems reinforce our bonding and generate greater goodwill,” Sonowal said in his speech.
“Taking the past and our affinities into account, I strongly feel that a climate of mutual trust and confidence; respect for each other’s sensitivities and concerns; and, peace and stability in our region are essential for us to realize the enormous potential in our relations,” he said.
Incidentally today, he said, India and Bangladesh are blessed to have the political leadership who are very keen to forge a more meaningful and mutually beneficial relationship and are taking many pragmatic steps in this regard.
“This meet is a great opportunity for both countries to leverage on their proximity and actualise on the tremendous potential of multi-modal connectivity to reach greater heights in trade and commerce,” the chief minister said.
“It is also very promising for our countries in advancing the mutually beneficial partnership with focus on both conventional and non-conventional areas and ensuring enhanced people to people relations,” he said.
The chief minister further said that close on the heels of signing, exchanging and adopting several bilateral agreements between the two countries during the recent visit of Prime Minister of Bangladesh to India, the potential for growth of trade between North-eastern states and Bangladesh has increased manifold.
“The BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement, the Port Use Agreement and Use of Cross Border Inland Waterways and access of the Chattogram and Mongla Ports to the North East of India foretell great prospect for growth of the entire region,” Sonowal said.
“Prior to India’s independence, Assam and Bangladesh had a multi model connectivity network which existed through road, rail, and water. In fact, tea and petroleum used to reach Chattogram (Chittagong) and Kolkata ports through the Brahmaputra-Padma-Meghna riverine waterway as well as through railway lines passing through present-day Bangladesh. This communication network immensely facilitated economic growth of the region,” he said.