Modi: My long-cherished dream of visiting Orakandi has finally come true

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said offering prayers at the Harichand Thakurbari Temple in Orakandi of Kashiani in Gopalganj was a long-cherished dream of his.

“My long-cherished dream of coming to Orakandi has finally come true. In a way, this is place is a place of pilgrimage for the relationship that exists between India and Bangladesh,” said the Indian PM while interacting with the Matua Community leaders there.

He added: “I feel exactly how thousands of people from the Matua community in India feel when they come to Orakandi. I’ve had to wait long for this holy day. When I first came to Bangladesh as the prime minister back in 2015, I wanted to come here. That desire has been fulfilled today.”

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi had offered prayers at the Jessoreshwari Kali Temple in Ishwaripur, Satkhira. Dedicated to Goddess Kali, Jessoreshwari Kali Temple is a famous Hindu temple located in Ishwaripur -- a village in Shyam Nagar.

After that, he paid tribute to Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Bangabandhu Mausoleum Complex in Tungipara. He signed the visitors' book and also planted samples at the complex.

PM Modi was accompanied by his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during his visit to the complex.

This is Prime Minister Modi's first foreign trip since the Covid-19 outbreak last year.