PM’s diplomacy in Bangla forces change in his Parliament schedule

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started learning the Bengali language, if we are to go by what transpired when he Inaugurated the newly-built Petrapole-Benapole integrated checkpost via a video link from the PMO in South Block. Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee joined the video conference from Dhaka and Kolkata, respectively. Sheikh Hasina was quite surprised to hear Mr Modi speaking in Bangla. The script was written in the Devnagari alphabet. “Bangladesh O paschimbonger vaiboneder aamar namaskar (Greetings to the brothers and sisters of Bangladesh and West Bengal),” the PM said and spoke four more sentences in Bangla, much to the enjoyment of the Bangladesh PM and West Bengal CM. Mr Modi added, “Aaj theke dui desher modhye aadan prodan aaro sahoj hobe ebong aamra aaro kachakachi elam. (From today, trade exchange will be simpler, we are coming closer to each other).”

Before this, there had been a lot of problems organising this programme. Initially, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj wrote to Ms Banerjee asking her to be present for this programme in the morning because the PM had to attend Parliament. But, being July 21, the Trinamul Congress had organised “Martyrs’ Day” in Kolkata. Ms Banerjee categorically told South Block that she could not attend the programme unless the PMO changed the schedule to the afternoon. Keeping in view past history — when Ms Banerjee had refused to travel with them PM Manmohan Singh because she was not consulted on the Teesta water-sharing agreement between India and Bangladesh — the PM made a special effort to convince the Bangladesh PM to change the schedule from the morning to the afternoon. She readily agreed. Accordingly, the PM had to change his schedule in Parliament.