India, Feb. 15 -- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will visit Dhaka to represent India at the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected Bangladesh government, which will be led by Tarique Rahman, the ministry of external affairs said Sunday.

This comes after Bangladesh had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi Modi to attend the event, according to a report by news agency PTI.

In a statement, the external affairs ministry said that Birla's attendance at the swearing-in ceremony "underscores the deep and enduring friendship between the peoples of India and Bangladesh". The ministry said that this reaffirms India's steadfast commitment to the democratic values binding both countries.

The ministry added that India welcomes Bangladesh's transitio...