Dhaka: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975 deprived the region of the destiny that could and should have been "ours to share" as he asserted that it was time to once again chart a bold ambition for partnership between India and Bangladesh.
In an opinion piece titled 'Imagining a different South Asia with Bangabandhu' published in The Daily Star newspaper on Friday, Prime Minister Modi promised that India will remain Bangladesh's partner as they jointly march towards the golden future for which Bangabandhu, and millions of patriotic Bangladeshis, and indeed thousands of Indians, gave their all.
"The assassination of the Father of Bangladesh deprived the region of the destiny that could and should have been ours to share," Modi said.
"As we look back on Bangabandhu's life and struggle, I ask myself, what could our subcontinent have looked like, had this modern-day giant not been assassinated?" wrote Modi, who is visiting Bangladesh on his first trip to a foreign country since the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Modi said the Bangabandhu's killers wanted to reverse the gains of Bangladesh's independence, for which he had led a heroic struggle.
"They also wanted to strike a mortal blow to Bangabandhu's dream of building a cooperative, peaceful and harmonious subcontinent," he said.
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Despite unflinching commitment to his cause, and despite all the persecutions he suffered, Bangabandhu retained a generosity of spirit that is a mark of true greatness, Modi said, adding that the Bangladeshi leader's progressive belief in fairness, equality and inclusiveness is captured in the words he wrote in the 1950s, "I know at least this much: no one should be murdered because he holds views different from mine."
"In him, we saw a tall leader whose vision went beyond the narrow confines of physical borders and social divisions. That is why we join our Bangladeshi sisters and brothers in celebrating Bangabandhu's memory in this very special Mujib Borsho," Modi wrote.