Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman’s Durga Puja Outreach: A Message of Friendship to India? PM Visits Banani Puja Mandap with Wife

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, October 19, 2026

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to a Durga Puja mandap in Banani, accompanied by his wife, Dr. Zubaida Rahman, has drawn attention as a gesture of goodwill towards the Hindu community during the Sharadiya Durga Puja celebrations. His participation in the festivities has also prompted hopes for stronger relations between Bangladesh and India, particularly with neighbouring Tripura, Assam and Bengal.

During the visit, the Prime Minister exchanged festive greetings with members of the Hindu community and conveyed his wishes on the occasion of Durga Puja. The outreach has been welcomed by those who see the peaceful celebration of religious festivals, backed by adequate security arrangements, as an important sign of communal harmony and mutual respect.

The Bangladesh government's reported measures to ensure that Durga Puja is celebrated peacefully and safely have also drawn appreciation from observers who believe that every religious community should be able to observe its festivals without fear or discrimination.

Beyond the religious significance of the visit, the occasion has renewed calls for cordial relations between Bangladesh and India. People on both sides of the border share longstanding family, cultural, linguistic and historical connections. Many families have relatives in both countries, and their relationships have continued across generations despite political changes and diplomatic challenges.

There is a strong expectation among sections of the public that the leadership in Dhaka will continue working towards friendly relations with New Delhi, West Bengal, Tripura and Assam. Easier cross-border travel, smoother visa procedures and opportunities for families to meet would help preserve these historic ties and strengthen people-to-people relations.

India and Bangladesh are neighbours whose relationship extends beyond diplomacy and trade. Shared cultural traditions, Bengali language and heritage, and close family connections make peaceful cooperation especially important to ordinary citizens.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman called for national unity beyond religious and communal identities, stating that people of all faiths had fought shoulder to shoulder during the 1971 Liberation War, movements to restore democracy, and the mass uprising of 2024. He said that just as religion and ethnicity had never been barriers in the struggle for independence and democratic rights, they should not divide people in the task of building the nation. “Our greatest identity is that we are all people of Bangladesh,” he said, emphasising that every citizen has equal rights in the country and that people from all religions and professions must work together to build a better future. He also expressed hope that people of every faith would continue to live together peacefully in Bangladesh for generations to come. The Prime Minister was accompanied by his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, and exchanged greetings with Hindu devotees and members of the Durga Puja committees during the visits.

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