Foreign ministry’s clarification on Sonia Gandhi invitation

The foreign ministry on Sunday said in a clarification that the visit of Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi on March 26 was not discussed during the recent Bangladesh visit of Indian external affairs secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.

‘Attention of the ministry is drawn to a news published with headline “Indian govt lobbies to cancel Sonia’s invitation to visit Bangladesh” at New Age,’ the foreign ministry said in an email to New Age on Sunday evening.

‘As a matter of fact, during the recently concluded visit of the Indian external affairs secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla in Dhaka [on March 2], the details of the events concerning the forthcoming visit of the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh for attending the birth centenary celebration of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 17, 2020, were discussed,’ the ministry said.

‘During his discussions with the ministry or the government, at no stage, the visit of the Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi on March 26, 2020 was neither discussed with the visiting Indian dignitary nor raised by him,’ the ministry added.

New Age clarification: New Age did not write that Sonia Gandhi visit issues were discussed in formal meetings of Harsh Vardhan Shringla. The report rightly stated that the request was conveyed on the sidelines of the meetings. New Age stands by the report. (Source: New Age)