Speech by Her Excellency the President of India, Shrimati Pratibha Devisingh Patil, at the Presentation of the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2009 to H.E. Mrs. Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangl

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to confer the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2009 on Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.

It is but rare in history that a nation's birth and political life is synonymous with the life and destiny of an individual. In the case of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Bangladesh, it is indeed so. By her sheer dedication to her country, her strong determination and leadership, she has shaped and continues to shape her country's onward path of progress and development. Bangladesh owes much to its illustrious daughter, Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, for its successes and triumphs. The Indira Gandhi Prize is but a recognition of the extraordinary contribution of one leader to the cause of a nation, its development, its people and to world peace and harmony.

The award conferred today is a prize instituted in the memory of a great leader of India, who held the cause of Bangladesh very dear and near to her heart. Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi shared a unique bond with Bangladesh. Addressing a public rally in Dhaka in March 1972, Indiraji said, "My heart overflows as I come to your beautiful country and to this historic ground. For many years, we had all heard of the beauty of Bangladesh. For many years, we had known about the agony you have suffered. The story of your journey through darkness has moved the hearts of people and brought tears to the eyes, wherever people value the human spirit."

Throughout life, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has personified the heroic struggle against autocracy and dictatorship, the struggle for establishing democracy and pluralism. Whether as a University student, or as a youth participating in the mass movement of 1969, as the daughter of the Father of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and later as the Prime Minister of her country, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has left an indelible imprint on her country's growth and development.

The return of Prime Minister Hasina to the helm of affairs comes at a critical juncture in her country's history. The spectacular electoral victory of the Awami League under her leadership and the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh, have been welcomed the world over. She has set for herself and her Government an ambitious agenda of economic growth, welfare and social justice for her people. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's crusade against terrorism and violence is also well known. She has met them with invincible courage, even at great risk to her own life. We would like to assure you, Madam Prime Minister, that India, which is itself a target of terrorism, is supportive of your struggle to fight these divisive forces. We cannot and will not let them succeed.

We are committed to strengthen India - Bangladesh relations and believe that both our countries have the determination to forge stronger bonds of cooperation and trust, based on the foundations of a shared history and culture. It is a rather exceptional commonality that our national anthems were written by the same person - the great poet, Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose 150th Birth Anniversary, we will be jointly celebrating. Our relationship encompasses numerous fields of interaction between our peoples. We seek to forge greater trade, investment and cultural exchanges. We also face common challenges, which require close cooperation with each other. Several far-reaching decisions have been taken during your historical visit, which I am confident, will provide the impetus for an even more dynamic bilateral relationship.

Madam Prime Minister, you have dedicated your life for the welfare and upliftment of the people of Bangladesh. Your far-sighted policies and programmes in agriculture and rural development, employment generation, food security and poverty alleviation have sought to transform the lives of millions in your country. Your contribution to women and child development and other vulnerable sections of society have been crucial to their welfare. For all these qualities, under your able and wise leadership, Bangladesh is sure to make progress. Madam Prime Minister, allow me to extend my warm and sincere felicitations to you once again, for receiving the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2009.

Thank you.