‘NRC issue to be discussed during Hasina's visit to India’

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to visit India during October 3-6 for talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, with Dhaka’s concerns about people excluded from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) expected to figure on the agenda.

This will be the first meeting between Modi and Hasina in the current terms. Hasina secured a third consecutive term with a landslide victory in December 2018 while Modi began his second term in June. India-Bangladesh relations have been strengthened under the two leaders, who have jointly lunched several projects, especially in connectivity.

Besides holding talks with Modi, Hasina is set to address the India Economic Summit of the World Economic Forum on October 4.

During the talks, the Bangladeshi side is expected to bring up its concerns that those excluded from the NRC in Assam could be deported, people familiar with developments said.

These concerns have been triggered by public comments by politicians in Assam, such as finance minister Himanta Biswa Sharma, who has said India will have to convince Bangladesh to “accept its citizens who had settled in India illegally”.

Source: hindustantimes/dailysun