Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 26 flagged off his first foreign tour since India declared the Covid-19 lockdown a year ago. He will be in Bangladesh on March 26 & 27 to attend the celebration of that country's 50th year of liberation from Pakistan and the centenary year of its founder Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, Premier Sheikh Hasina's father. The two countries are also celebrating 50 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties. In Dhaka, he was received by PM Hasina at the airport. Paying tributes at the National Martyr's Memorial in Savar later, he tweeted, "The courage of those who took part in the Liberation War of Bangladesh motivates many”. Besides taking part in a wide range of programmes aimed at furthering cooperation between the two countries, PM Modi is also set to offer prayers at the Jashoreshwari Kali Temple. Notably, the tour comes amid the run-up to the West Bengal and Assam Assembly polls.