India’s Rajya Sabha adopts condolence motion honoring Khaleda Zia

Staff Correspondent

The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, is going to pay tribute to former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and late BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

On Wednesday, the Rajya Sabha agenda shows that condolence motions will be taken up for a total of three people, including Khaleda Zia, during the memorial service for the deceased in the session.

A condolence motion will be taken up for them immediately after President Draupadi Murmu’s speech at the beginning of the day’s session.

Three-time Prime Minister of Bangladesh Khaleda Zia died at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on December 30. The next day, she was buried next to her husband, former President Ziaur Rahman, after a funeral prayer in front of the National Parliament Building.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in an X-post soon after the news of Khaleda Zia’s death. He also handed over a formal letter to BNP acting chairman (current chairman) Tarique Rahman.

Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Dhaka on December 31 and paid tribute to Khaleda Zia, as well as handing over the Indian government’s condolence message to Tarique Rahman.

Addressing the then acting chairman of the BNP as “Dear Tarique Rahman Saheb”, Modi wrote that while Khaleda Zia’s departure has created an “irreplaceable void”, her vision and legacy will live on.

Then on January 1, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi and paid tribute to Khaleda Zia.

Later, in the condolence book, he wrote, “His important contribution in strengthening India-Bangladesh relations will be remembered.”

The Indian media described the Modi government’s proactive role in expressing condolences and paying tribute to Khaleda Zia amid tensions between the two countries following the 24th coup as Delhi’s “strategic outreach effort” towards the new BNP leadership.