Modi and Hasina to open three projects; NRC likely to come up in talks

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina were scheduled to jointly inaugurate three projects on Saturday during bilateral talks in New Delhi. Around six or seven agreements covering transport, connectivity, capacity building and culture were also expected to be signed.

The NRC question

The National Register of Citizens exercise in Assam was likely to feature in the discussions. On Thursday, Hasina said she was satisfied with Modi’s assurance that Bangladesh would not be affected by the exercise.

Speaking at a reception hosted by Bangladesh’s envoy Syed Muazzem Ali, she said she did not see a problem with it. “I had a talk with PM Modi. Everything is okay,” she was quoted as saying.

A week earlier, after meeting Modi in New York, Hasina had described the NRC as a matter of great concern for Bangladeshis. Modi is understood to have told her there was nothing to worry about given the good ties between the two countries.

India’s position

External affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar gave few details of the three projects. He said relations between the two countries had never been closer and the talks would focus on the next steps to take the partnership forward, including trade, connectivity, development cooperation, people-to-people contact and culture.

On the NRC, Kumar said it was a process mandated by the Supreme Court and still under way. He said the due process, including appeals, had to be completed first and that the ministry had nothing more to add at that stage.

See also: political leaders and election news.

Originally published on 5 October 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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