How a friendly hug caused uproar in India
A warm embrace between Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina and her friend Sonia Gandhi of the opposition Indian Congress party, though a reminder of shared history, also set tongues wagging
Social media was abuzz with videos and photos of a warm meeting between Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sonia Gandhi of India’s Congress party in New Delhi on June 10.
Both belong to prominent political families that witnessed South Asian nations gain independence from British rule, as well as partition, the subcontinent’s changing map, and the assassination of family members.
But there is a deeper personal bond, and those privy to their meeting called it “the reunion of a family connection.” Two senior diplomats from Bangladesh agreed with that description.
Sheikh Hasina was in New Delhi as a state guest for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony on Sunday, June 9, when he assumed office for a third consecutive term. She is a five-term PM and Sonia Gandhi is the Congress party’s president, having led a coalition that ruled India from 2004 to 2014.
A post shared by Rahul Gandhi (@rahulgandhi)
Sonia called to Sheikh Hasina at her suite in a New Delhi hotel, along with daughter Priyanka and son Rahul, both of whom recently emerged as important political figures in India. Rahul, the face of INDIA bloc, which rivalled the Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party in the recent election, was credited with enlarging the opposition following a decade of Modi’s overwhelming majority.
That set off chatter about why the two women were meeting, including speculation as to whether the Bangladeshi prime minister was snubbing Modi.
Diplomats differ.
“Sheikh Hasina spent six years in political asylum in New Delhi between 1975 and 1981 and she has strong ties with the Gandhi family,” a Bangladeshi diplomat told RT. “This was a personal meeting between old family friends and nothing more should be read into it.”
Those in the know say Sheikh Hasina met with the Gandhis alone, without aides or staff.
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