Teesta treaty close to being signed after Banerjee softens stance
By Archisman Dinda
Kolkata: The Indo-Bangladesh Teesta water-sharing treaty is close to being signed after long-time critic West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appeared to give the deal the go-ahead.
Though the federal government had in principal approved the treaty way back in 2011, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Dhaka, it stalled primarily because of objections from Banerjee, who believed that the agreement was too lopsided in favour of Bangladesh and could adversely affecting the interest of the farmers of North Bengal. An expert committee was formed to evaluate the issue.
“My state has nothing against Bangladesh, but we have to look into our interests also,” Banerjee told Gulf News. “The farmers of North Bengal suffer a lot due to lack of water, we also have to look at their interest.
“We have one language and one culture. The present divide is man-made and we will do everything to strengthen our relationship with Bangladesh.” However, it is imperative that New Delhi gets this agreement signed, especially at a time when the relationship with Pakistan is worsening due to the recent border tensions.
Sources claim that the federal Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has sent emissaries to Banerjee before his on-going visit to Bangladesh seeking her opinion and explaining the importance of this treaty to the Indo-Bangla relationship, to which Banerjee has given positive signals.
“The other side of the border has been home to sundry anti-India militants, notably jihadis,” said an official of the Home Ministry who did not wish to be named. “Previous governments in Dhaka have chosen to turn a blind eye, fearing drying up of aid from some Muslim countries and going against the growing pan-Islamic fervour among a section of the Bangladeshi population. However, Shaikh Hasina’s government has done a lot to curb this menace and she is losing popularity in her country since this agreement is not being signed. We do not want a regime in Bangladesh that favours militancy and a troubled eastern border will not be good for us.”
Officials at the Bangladesh consulate in Kolkata say they are confident of an imminent conclusion to the problem.
“Our foreign minister Dipu Mani had earlier visited Banerjee and we are every time closer to signing the very critical agreement,” said an official.
Sources in Banerjee’s office also confirmed that the situation is far better than in September 2011, when Banerjee refused to visit Dhaka along with the Prime Minister and the treaty remained unsigned.
“Our biggest objection to the whole situation was that the agreement was drafted by the UPA government without consulting the state government, which has the largest border with Bangladesh at a time when we were the largest ally in the government,” said a Trinamool Congress leader known for his close relationship with Banerjee. “But now, considering the interests of the country, we may have to do it.”
Source: GulfNews
