India’s both parliament houses pay tribute to Khaleda Zia

India’s parliament has paid posthumous tribute to former Bangladesh prime minister and late BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia in both houses.

A condolence motion was placed and she was remembered with respect in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the first day of the budget session on January 28.

Indian news agency ANI reported that President Droupadi Murmu addressed a joint sitting of members of both houses on the first day of the budget session. During the session, tributes were also paid to former Indian MP L. Ganesan and MP Suresh Kalmadi along with Khaleda Zia.

The Free Press Journal reported that the Lok Sabha budget session began on January 28. At the start of the session, condolence motions were moved for the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra who died in an air crash, five former members of the Lok Sabha and former Bangladesh prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia. The names of the deceased were read out and members of parliament later stood in tribute.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other lawmakers observed silence as a mark of respect and condolence.

During the session, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said Begum Khaleda Zia served as Bangladesh prime minister three times and also served as leader of the opposition in parliament. He said Begum Khaleda Zia died on December 30, 2025. The house expressed deep condolence over the death of the BNP chairperson and former prime minister and recalled her role in strengthening relations between India and Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, PTI reported that condolence motions were also raised in the Rajya Sabha in memory of Khaleda Zia and former Rajya Sabha members L. Ganesan and Suresh Kalmadi.

Rajya Sabha chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan read out the condolence motion. Members later observed a one-minute silence in memory of the deceased.

In the condolence motion, Radhakrishnan expressed deep sorrow over the death of former Bangladesh prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.

Khaleda Zia died at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on December 30, 2025 after a prolonged illness. She was buried beside her husband, former president Ziaur Rahman, after funeral prayers were held in front of the National Parliament complex the following day.

Radhakrishnan said she was Bangladesh’s first female prime minister and served three terms between 1991 and 2006. She also served as leader of the opposition from 1996 to 2001. He noted her contribution to Bangladesh’s development and strengthening bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India.

After news of her death, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi expressed condolence in a post on X and sent an official letter to BNP acting chairman, now chairman, Tarique Rahman.

India’s external affairs minister S. Jaishankar visited Dhaka on December 31 and paid tribute to Khaleda Zia while handing over a condolence message from the Indian government to Tarique Rahman.

Addressing the BNP leader as “Dear Tarique Rahman”, Modi wrote that Khaleda Zia’s passing created an “irreparable void” but her vision and legacy would endure.

On January 1, India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh visited the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi to pay tribute to Khaleda Zia.

Indian media described the Modi government’s active role in expressing condolence for Khaleda Zia as a ‘strategic outreach attempt’ towards the new BNP leadership amid strained relations between the two countries following the 2024 uprising.