Visiting Indian President Ram Nath Kovind said here that as a youth, he was inspired by the "moral courage" of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's Father of the Nation, and his efforts to liberate the country from an oppressive regime 50 years ago.
Bangladesh on Thursday celebrated its Golden Jubilee of Independence with a Victory Day parade in which President M. Abdul Hamid and his Indian counterpart Kovind were present along with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Addressing the celebrations, the Indian President said: "Like millions of others, I was electrified by his (Bangabondhu) powerful voice, and the understanding that it carried the aspirations of 70 million people of Bangladesh at that time. Like millions of Indians of my generation, we were elated by the victory of Bangladesh over an oppressive regime and were deeply inspired by the faith and courage of the people of Bangladesh.
"Fifty years ago, the vision of an independent Bangladesh inspired millions. But it seemed a remote and impossible dream then to naysayers, sceptics and detractors. The international context and realpolitik seemed to rule out the prospects of Liberation. Set against a brutal, determined, and well-armed foe who would stop at nothing, the odds were very much against Bangladesh.
"But the inspiring statesmanship of Bangabandhu; his clear-sighted moral conviction and his unflinching determination to seek justice for the people of East Pakistan were truly the game-changers. As a result, the world learnt a valuable lesson: that the will of the majority of people cannot be subjugated by any force, however brutal."
He added that although Bangabandhu and his family members were brutally killed, the anti-liberation forces failed to realise that bullets and violence cannot extinguish an idea that had captured the imagination of the millions of people
Kovind further mentioned that the anti-liberation forces did not count on the determination and resilience of Sheikh Hasina, the incumbent Prime Minister who has faced assassination attempts and dictatorships with remarkable courage.
"She has been driven by the strong conviction to realise the dream of Bangabandhu, and his spirit of the 'Bidrohi' (or rebel)."
During the occasion, President Kovind paid tributes to the memory of the untold suffering of tens of millions of people of Bangladesh.
"It is their sacrifice, and the righteousness of the cause of Bangladesh, that has transformed the region. As our nations develop and our friendship further deepens, let us continue to work together towards realizing the dreams of our peoples."
President Kovind said history will always bear witness to the "unique foundation" of friendship between India and Bangladesh, forged in the people's war that liberated Bangladesh.
"Veterans of that war, both from India and Bangladesh, some of whom are here in this audience, including the President of Bangladesh, are living testimony to the power of faith and friendship, which can move mountains.
"Like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I'm delighted that my first visit outside India since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic is to your country Bangladesh. I am also honoured to participate in the Mujib Borsho celebrations," he added.
He also appreciates the commendable economic growth achieved by Bangladesh in the last decade, which has also created opportunities for its citizens to realise their full potential.
"Your country's stellar economic performance complemented by geographical advantage can benefit the entire sub-region and the world."
He added, there is a growing recognition among international experts about the fact that close sub-regional trade, economic cooperation and connectivity will help accelerate the process of achieving a "Sonar Bangla" in the shortest possible period of time.
President Kovind said India has always attached the highest priority to its friendship with Bangladesh and they remain committed to doing all they can, to help realize the full potential of our friendship.
"In recent years, we have seen a steady expansion of trade, economic cooperation, people-to-people ties, student exchanges, and extensive engagements across multiple areas of activity. These are guarantees of a sustainable, deep friendship, based on mutual respect, sovereign equality and our respective long-term interests. I am glad that our recent efforts have been inspired by this vision.
If the first 50 years of the partnership began by surmounting extraordinary challenges that forged a deep friendship between our people, perhaps, he said, the time has come to raise the bar even higher. And to achieve that Kovind suggested, "businesses, academics and especially youth must be motivated to jointly create globally-pioneering initiatives in the world of ideas, creativity, commerce, and technology".
He said their innovators should be urged to find new solutions, based on locally-appropriate technologies, to address their common development challenges.
"We must urge our thinkers to leverage the power of our own unique success stories, to find 'best-in-class' ideas that are relevant in our regional context. Together we can create opportunities for seamless flow of ideas and innovation as we enter a new era of interconnectivity," said Kovind.
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