PM Narendra Modi's Bangladesh visit called off due to coronavirus threat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed visit to Dhaka on March 17 has been called off in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in Bangladesh.

Modi was expected to visit Dhaka to take part in a ceremony on March 17 to mark the beginning of the year-long celebration of the birth-centenary of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – the founder of Bangladesh. But after the detection of the first cases of Covid-19 infections in Bangladesh on Sunday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Government in Dhaka decided to scale down the event to avoid large gatherings and to prevent further spread of the novel coronavirus.

Dhaka, however, is yet to take a call on the celebration of the Independence Day of Bangladesh later this month. Hasina invited Congress President Sonia Gandhi to attend the ceremony on March 26.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi confirmed on Monday that Prime Minister's visit to Dhaka had been deferred.

Modi’s proposed visit to Brussels for the summit between India and the European Union on March 13 has already been indefinitely postponed, as both sides decided last week to hold the summit later in view of the Covid-19 outbreak. Uncertainty also looms large over his proposed visit to Egypt.

“We have received formal notification from the Government of Bangladesh that a decision has been taken by them to defer the public events being organized to celebrate the centenary of the birth of the Father of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, on account of the detection of cases of coronavirus in Bangladesh, and the larger global public health situation in this regard,” Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, said.

“The impact of this deferment applies also to the large gathering planned for March 17, at which the Prime Minister of India was invited,” he said, adding: “The Government of Bangladesh has advised us that fresh dates for these commemorative events will be conveyed (to us) later.”

Even before the Covid-19 outbreak was found to have reached Bangladesh, Hasina had come under pressure to withdraw the invitation to Modi in the wake of the widespread protest across the country over the recent violent clashes in North-East Delhi.

Thousands of protesters marched on the streets of Dhaka last Friday demanding that Hasina’s Government must withdraw the invitation to Modi in view of the recent violent clashes that killed over 50 people and injured over 200 in the national capital of India. Earlier, Similar protest marches took place in other cities of Bangladesh.

New Delhi was worried over the prospects of the protests escalating over the next few days and resulting in untoward incidents during the Prime Minister’s visit to Dhaka. Asaduzzaman Khan, Home Minister of Bangladesh, however, said in Dhaka on Sunday that the security agencies of his country were capable and ready to deal with any eventuality during the visit of the Prime Minister of India.

But the detection of the first cases of Covid-19 infection in Bangladesh prompted rethinking on celebration of the birth centenary of ‘Bangabandhu’ in Dhaka. Hasina chaired an emergency meeting at her residence with ministers of her government, senior leaders of her Awami League party and the representative of the committee constituted for overseeing the celebration of “Mujib Barsha” (Year of Mujib) over the next 12 months. The meeting ended with the decision to scale down the events – particularly the one on March 17, which would have marked the year-long celebration and which Hasina had invited Modi to attend.

With medical experts advising against holding large gatherings to avoid spread of Covid-19, the Bangladesh Government decided to start “Mujib Barsha” celebration with smaller events in educational institutions and other places.

“While expressing understanding of the circumstances that necessitates this deferment, India is ready to work with Bangladesh, as partners, to combat the spread of this disease in our shared neighbourhood,” the MEA spokesperson said in New Delhi.