New Delhi:
External Affairs Minister SM Krishna will begin a two-day visit to Dhaka today, under the shadow of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's purported remarks about "anti-Indian" sentiments in Bangladesh.
Downplaying that the Prime Minister's controversial remarks on Bangladeshis will have any impact on his visit, Krishna said on Tuesday that there will be no need for "damage repair" and that Manmohan Singh is a "consistent champion" of close Indo-Bangaldesh ties.
"I think there is no damage repair in the sense...The Prime Minister has always held and he is one of the consistent champions of close Indo-Bangaldesh relationship," Krishna said when asked if he would have to do damage the repair during his trip to Bangladesh following Singh's remarks that 25 percent of Bangladeshis were anti-Indian.
Defending Singh, Krishna said the Prime Minister was himself looking forward to his trip to Bangladesh on September 6 and 7 and that he had "deep and abiding friendship" for people of Bangladesh and their government. During the interaction with the editors earlier this week, Singh had said "at least 25 per cent of the population of Bangladesh swear by the Jamiat-ul-Islami and they are very anti-Indian and they are in the clutches, many times, of the ISI."
The PM's remarks were intended to be off the record but figured in the official transcript of the interaction between Singh and the Editors. The remarks were later deleted from the official transcript. However, the remarks have sparked strong reactions in Bangladesh.
Krishna's visit will include meetings with President of Bangladesh Zillur Rahman, Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina besides holding talks with Foreign Minister Dipu Moni. He will also meet Finance Minister A M A Muhith and Leader of the Opposition Begum Khaleda Zia besides signing some bilateral documents.
"My visit would be preparatory to that of our Prime Minister. I propose to review progress in the entire gamut of our bilateral relations with my interlocutors," he said. (With PTI Inputs)