New Delhi, March 16: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the 100th Birth Anniversary celebrations of “Jatir Pita” Bangabandhu, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Bangladesh tomorrow via video conferencing. Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, the events planned for celebrating 100th birth anniversary of Rahman in Bangladesh will be held without public gathering. PM Modi at SAARC Video-Meet on Coronavirus: 'Don't Underestimate Issue, But Avoid Knee-Jerk Reaction'.

PM Modi’s Dhaka visit was cancelled on March 9. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had invited Prime Minister Modi for the birth centenary celebration of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman during her visit to India. The Indian PM had accepted the invitation then. PM Narendra Modi to Visit Bangladesh for Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Centenary Celebration, Says MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.

Tweet  by PMO:

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder-president of Bangladesh and also known as "Bangabandhu", was born on March 17, 1920, in Tungipara village in Faridpur district. Last month, Bangladesh's Dhaka Tribune, citing multiple sources, had reported that PM Modi is likely to visit Bangladesh from March 16 to 18 where he will hold talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina. During the visit, PM Modi was to hold a discussion on a wide range of bilateral issues. Bangladesh to Mark 50th Independence Day, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Centenary in 16 Nations.

On March 15, PM Modi also participated in the meeting of South Asian Association of Regional Corporation (SAARC) leaders through video conferencing. During the video meet, the Indian PM pitched for a joint strategy to curb the spread of coronavirus pandemic. The meeting was attended by the Presidents of Sri Lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan, the PMs of Bhutan and Nepal, along with a top health department official of Pakistan.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 16, 2020 10:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).