Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Tarique Rahman, the newly sworn-in prime minister of Bangladesh, to India. PM Modi’s invitation to the Bangladesh leader was conveyed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who attended the oath ceremony in Dhaka today.
Om Birla handed over the letter by PM Modi to Tarique Rahman.
The letter from PM Modi read, “I extend my warmest congratulations to you on the victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party at the just-concluded parliamentary elections in Bangladesh and on your appointment as the next Prime Minister of Bangladesh.”
PM Modi is learnt to have extended an invitation to Rahman, his wife Dr Zubaida and his daughter Zaima to visit India at a “mutually convenient time”.
“A warm welcome awaits you in India,” he added in the congratulatory letter.
Here’s why PM Modi didn’t attend Rahman’s swearing-in
According to a report by the Indian Express, PM Modi could not attend the event as he was scheduled to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai on Tuesday.
On reaching Dhaka, Birla called the swearing-in of Rahman an important moment that would strengthen people-to-people relations and shared democratic values between the two neighbours.
“Honoured to be in Dhaka representing India at the swearing-in ceremony of the new government led by Tarique Rahman as the prime minister. It’s an important moment that will strengthen people-to-people ties and shared democratic values between our two nations,” Birla said.
Birla was accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and other officials.
BNP won 49.97 per cent votes
Led by Rahman, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) swept the polls with a two-thirds majority with 49.97 per cent votes. The Jamaat-e-Islami, which was opposed to Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971, registered its best-ever performance with 31.76 per cent votes and 68 seats.
The National Citizen Party (NCP) secured six seats, and 3.05 per cent votes.
Bangladesh had invited Narendra Modi to the ceremony, but the prime minister could not attend the event as he was scheduled to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Bangladesh’s ties with India
PM Modi was the first world leader to congratulate Rahman on the election win.
The BNP has already indicated it will formally request the extradition of Sheikh Hasina, who remains in exile in India and was sentenced to death in absentia by a war crimes tribunal in November 2025.
India remains vocal about the safety of Bangladesh’s Hindu population. PM Modi’s congratulatory message specifically emphasized a “progressive and inclusive” Bangladesh, a subtle reference to protecting religious minorities.
With the Ganga Water Treaty set to expire in December 2026, the new government has listed its renewal and the cessation of “violence fulled killings” as top priorities.