As India is in the midst of national elections, speculations are galore about the shape of its relations with Bangladesh in the coming days. Indo-Bangladesh ties are being discussed in the context of a possible change of guards in the South Block. Voting began in India on April 07 and will continue until May 12 in nine phases and results would be known on May 16.
The ties between Bangladesh and India are quite friendly and cooperative at the moment, but there is no scope for any complacency. Because of some vexed unresolved issues, the Indo-Bangladesh relations demand review of the entire gamut of the ties with a view to settling at least two issues. The urgency of resolution of these matters as far as Dhaka is concerned is quite imperative and New Delhi needs to understand the situation in its true perspective.
As there is no sign that the unsettled bilateral matters are in the process of a solution, analysts and observers wonder whether these issues would at all be taken up for an amicable understanding or left to the backburner. If the latter happens, then these may come out as a potentially dangerous irritant with much bigger complexity in the future.
The two contentious matters that are awaiting settlement are the Teesta water agreement and the implementation of the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) of 1974. Both the issues are defying resolution because of problems at the Indian end. The central government of India has shown no dearth of willingness to settle the issues with Dhaka. But a peculiarity of Indian system is that certain things are not probably in the hand of the central authorities and the state governments have a say in such matters. Nevertheless, it is the bounden duty of the Indian government to see to it that both the issues are settled in the interest of sustained good-neighbourly relations.
It is common knowledge that Indo-Bangladesh friendship and cooperation see best of the times when Awami League is in power in Dhaka and Congress in New Delhi. Understandably, it is because of the rapport two parties forged during Bangladesh's glorious liberation war in 1971. During the last five years that the Awami League-led coalition is in power in Bangladesh, links with the Congress-led ruling rainbow alliance in India have been excellent. Barring some sensitive issues, both sides have demonstrated unflinching commitment to further develop ties. However, this should not obscure the fact that an impression exists in different quarters that possibly New Delhi has benefited more than Bangladesh by the process of cooperation. Bangladesh government is apparently embarrassed by the lack of concrete progress in the matters of Teesta water agreement and LBA implementation.
At a discussion on the Indo-Bangladesh ties at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) the other day, the Indian High Commissioner Pankaj Sharan said his country was promised-bound to honour the commitments on Teesta and land boundary and mentioned certain complications. He hoped that things would be all right in due course.
Now that India is going to have a new government in the near future, one may have to wait for the development to take place. Nonetheless, things can not remain stagnant and Bangladesh needs to continue its efforts to get solution of the problems relating to the Teesta river and land boundary.
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