PM Modi wears 'Mujib Jacket' as he pays tribute to Bangabandhu, hails his leadership

In the first abroad visit since the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 26 wore ‘Mujib Jacket’ as he paid tribute to Bangladesh’s Father of the Nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman popularly dubbed with the title of "Bangabandhu.” On Friday, PM Modi flagged off his first foreign tour since India declared lockdown to curb the spread of novel coronavirus. He will be in Bangladesh to attend the celebration of that nation’s 50th year of liberation from Pakistan along with the centenary year of Bangabandhu, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s father. 

After Prime Minister was received by his Bangladeshi counterpart at the airport, he also paid tributes at the National Martyr’s Memorial in Savar. PM Modi donned the ‘Mujib Jacket’ while speaking at the National Day programme of Bangladesh on Friday when he also extended an invite to 50 entrepreneurs of the neighbouring nation. 

PM Modi said, “On the event of 50 years of Indo-Bangladesh partnership, I'd like to extend an invite to 50 entrepreneurs of Bangladesh. They should get associate with our innovation ecosystem and meet venture capitalists. We will learn from them and they will learn from us as well.”

Who was Bangabandhu?

Bangabandhu or Sheikh Maujibur Rahman was the founding leader of Bangladesh and the first Prime Minister of the country. The title Bangabandhu means ‘friend of Bengal and this year is his birth centenary. A popular leader in East Pakistan, Rahman played a significant role in the nation’s six-point movement and the Anti-Ayub movement. Eventually, in 1970, his party secured a record-breaking win in Pakistan’s first general elections and bagged more seats than all parties in West Pakistan. 

However, the election results were not followed and it led to a civil war. After taking the lives of hundreds of nation’s intellectuals, the Pakistani occupation army had surrendered to the joint forces of Bangladesh and India that marked the nine-month-long brutal war. 

On March 26, 1971, Sheikh Mujib declared Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan. Bangabandhu served as Bangladesh PM for three years was later made the nation's President. Sheikh Mujib was assassinated on August 15, 1975, around 12:30 AM (local time) as Bangladesh Army officers attacked his Dhaka residence.

Image credits: @ICCR_Dhaka/@BJP4India/Twitter