NEW DELHI, April 23 - Amidst a raging controversy in Bangladesh over the updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, a delegation of ruling Awami League on Monday called on Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
The Prime Minister held a 30-minute meeting with visiting Road Transport and Bridges Minister of Bangladesh Obaidul Quader at his official residence today. The meeting was attended by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary K Gokhale, and Joint Secretary (Bangladesh, Myanmar) Sripriya Ranganathan among others.
Obaidul Quader, who is also General Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League, was accompanied by the Awami League presidium member Piyush Kanti Bhattacharya, joint general secretaries Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman. Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali was also present at the meeting.
The 20-member Awami League delegation arrived here on a three-day visit at the invitation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The visit by Awami League delegation assumes significance because the ruling Bangladeshi Party had openly expressed its anxiety over the updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.
However, officials were tight-lipped whether Bangladeshi sides raised the issue of updating of the NRC.
According to reports, the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina recently told a visiting Indian media delegation that the ongoing process of the NRC may result in a mass displacement of Bengalis from the region and create another Rohingya refugee-like crisis for Bangladesh.
Officials said that the situation in Assam was �threatening� India-Bangladesh ties and would be exploited by �anti-India elements and Islamic fundamentalists� who are opposing the Awami League rule.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina�s Media Affairs Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury had said the citizenship issue would be �another disappointment after the setback on the Teesta water sharing agreement.�
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said that India wants early resolution of the Rohingya refugee problem.
During interaction, the Prime Minister referring to Bangladesh�s role in providing shelter to the forcibly displaced people from Myanmar said India wants an early resolution to the problem.
