Sheikh Hasina and Mamata Banerjee have always maintained a cordial personal relationship with each other and exchange gifts on several occasions.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata. (Photo: IANS)
Even though Durga Pujo celebrations this year have been severely hit due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has not disregarded a festive tradition.
Continuing on a long-standing ritual, the Bangladesh premier has sent her Pujo gifts to West Bengal Chief Manager Mamata Banerjee. Four sarees and 10 kg of sweets have crossed the border for Hasina’s “young sister”.
Banerjee has expressed her gratitude and called the gifts, which were taken to Banerjee’s office in Nabanna by Deputy High Commissioner Toufiq Hussain, as the best, reported ETV Bharat.
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Despite a topsy-turvy diplomatic relationship between India and Bangladesh, soured mostly by water sharing policies of Teesta river, Hasina and Banerjee have always maintained a cordial personal association with each other.
The Bangladeshi PM is known to address Banerjee as her younger sister. Banerjee, on the other hand, has also done an equal part in this bonding.
While sweets and sarees from Dhaka have traditionally come to Banerjee’s door during Durga Pujo and Poyla Baishakh, the West Bengal CM sends her regard on Eid, Hasina’s birthday and on several other occasions.
Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Monday ordered that the all the Durga Puja pandals across West Bengal will have to be declared as no-entry zones for visitors.
The HC has directed puja committees that all pandals will have to erect barricades at the entrance of the pandals and the distance is five meters for small pandals and 10 meters for big pandals.
The High Court bench of Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Arijit Banerjee further stated only 25 members for big-ticket Pujas and 15 for the smaller ones will be allowed inside the pandals.
The court has asked puja committees to submit a plan on crowd management as the court said there are not enough policemen in Kolkata to manage the crowds in 3000 plus puja pandals in the city.
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