PM's India visit likely in late May or early June

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to visit India in late next month or early June to formally inaugurate the Bangladesh Bhaban at Visva-Bharati.

During the visit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi might confer an honorary doctorate degree on Hasina, reports our diplomatic correspondent.

“Yes, there is a possibility of the Bangladesh prime minister's visit to India. But it has not been finalised yet. This is still at the planning stage and dates for the proposed visit are being discussed at high level,” said an Indian diplomat in Dhaka.

According to the diplomat, Kazi Nazrul University, a public university in West Bengal's Asansol, has decided to confer an honorary doctorate degree on Hasina.

If the Bangladesh PM visits Kazi Nazrul University, the Indian premier might confer the honorary degree on her as he is the chancellor of the university.

Meanwhile, The Times of India yesterday reported that Bangladesh wants the inauguration of the Bangladesh Bhavan at Visva-Bharati be held in presence of the two premiers.

“We want this Bhavan to be inaugurated by the end of May. We have been told that the prime minister of India will soon come to Visva-Bharati for the convocation. We want to time the inauguration programme accordingly so that we can have the two prime ministers at this programme,” the Indian daily quoted Bangladesh Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor as saying.

The Bhavan has been built with funding from the Bangladesh government. It houses a museum showcasing Rabindranath Tagore's association with Bangladesh, the Liberation War and Indo-Bangla relations.