Modi to visit Tungipara, Barishal

Alongside Bangabandhu Memorial in Tungipara, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Orakandi, a sacred shrine of the "Matua" community in Gopalganj, and "Satipith" in Shikarpur, Barishal, during his upcoming Bangladesh visit.

Modi is set to visit Bangladesh on March 26-27 at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to join the 50th anniversary celebration of the Independence of Bangladesh, the Birth Centenary of Bangabandhu, and the 50th year of Bangladesh-India diplomatic ties.

The Indian premier is set to visit the Bangabandhu memorial in Tungipara to pay homage to Bangladesh's Founding Father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 27 and on the same day he is expected to visit Orakandi temple and "Satipith".

Diplomatic sources told BSS that if everything goes well PM Modi is likely to visit Orkandi Temple to pay homage to Harichand Thakur, the founder of the "Matua" community and "Sugandha Shaktipith" (Satipith) in Shikarpur in Barishal district.

The sources, wishing not to be named, said that PM Modi has also desired to visit Rabindra Kuthi Bari in Kushtia and the ancestral home of Bagha Jatin, a revolutionary leader against the British rule, in Kushtia.

An official of Bangladesh mission here said, "It was almost certain that the Indian PM is visiting Orkandi temple but his visit to 'Satipith' and other areas are not confirmed yet."

He said separate groups of Indian High Commission officers in Dhaka and Bangladesh security personnel have already visited these areas to examine security aspects there ahead of the high-profile visit.

However, media reports here said that Modi would pay the visit to Orakandi temple to win over the "Matua" community voters ahead of the West Bengal state government polls scheduled to begin on March 27.

The state assembly election would be held in eight phases.

The "Matua" community votes are believed to be a decisive factor in the North 24-Parganas and Nadia district as the BJP and TMC (Trinamool Congress) are involved in a huge tussle to win over the voters there.

Besides, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jay Shankar will visit Dhaka tomorrow to set agendas regarding the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh.

According to PM Modi's visit schedule, he will arrive in Dhaka on March 26 by a special aircraft and will leave Dhaka for New Delhi on the next day after wrapping up his two-day Dhaka visit. It would be Modi's first foreign visit after the Covid-19 pandemic.

On the first day [March 26], the Indian PM will join the celebration programmes with other dignitaries, and the next day, he will hold a summit with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh high commissioner sources told BSS recently.