CM Mamata to share V-B dais with PM Modi, Shiekh Hasina

SANTINIKETAN: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart

Shiekh Hasina

Wazed and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will share the dais during the inauguration of

Bangladesh Bhawan

at

Visva-Bharati University

in

Santiniketan

on May 25.The Bangladesh government is funding the construction of the Bangladesh Bhawan.

Visva-Bharati has finalized the programme taking opportunity of PM Modi’s maiden visit to the central university’s convocation on the same day as chancellor. Modi became Visva Bharati chancellor two years ago after his predecessor Manmohan Singh stepped down as chancellor of the university in 2016. West Bengal governor Kesharinath Tripathi will also attend the convocation as rector.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has been nominated by the Visva-Bharati academic council for the prestigious Desikottama award. The other nominees are composer Gulzar, writers Amitav Ghosh and Suniti Kumar Pathak, painter Jogen Chowdhury, scientist Ashoke Sen and singer Dwijen Mukherjee. Visva-Bharati will also announce the Gagan-Aban award and Rathindra Puraskar at the convocation.

Officiating vice-chancellor Sabujkali Sen said the university got the confirmation from the PMO and the Bangladesh government on Saturday. “The chancellor will confer the awards at the convocation. If his office permits, he may hand out the PhD degrees as well. Later, the two PMs will attend the inauguration of Bangladesh Bhawan. “We shall invite chief minister Mamata Banerjee to both the events,” Sen said.

Visva Bharati officials said the convocation will attain a special dimension this year because a PM as chancellor will attend the event after 10 years. “Manmohan Singh attended the convocation last in 2008,” an official said.

A government delegation from Bangladesh visited Santiniketan a few weeks ago to oversee the construction of Bangladesh Bhawan. “The delegation had expressed their desire to have PM Modi at the inauguration,” a V-B official said. The Bhawan will house museums, auditorium, library, research centre to focus on the Mukti Yudhha of Bangladesh and Indo-Bangla cultural relationship.