Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s recent visit to Bangladesh generated much heat and less light. In fact, his visit created a kind of euphoria and the political parties and the media seemed to have been mesmerised. Even the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which has always thrived on an anti-Indian stance, made a volte-face. It was loud in claiming its camaraderie with India. Here lies the success of Modi.
Modi visited Bangladesh well-prepared. The 1974 Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) was ratified and the constitutional amendment bill regarding the settlement of enclave exchange was dramatically passed, unanimously, in the Indian parliament. It had been lying unresolved for more than four decades. Then there was the issue of Teesta water sharing. Modi was accompanied by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banarjee.
BILATERAL RELATIONS IN PERSPECTIVE: All this enthralled the Awami League, in particular, and the others in general. There is no denying the fact that India played a vital role in our War of Independence. The then Prime Minister of India showed political acumen, which can be hardly overstated. Mrs. Indira Gandhi succeeded in signing a friendship treaty with the then USSR. It helped in obtaining Soviet veto in UN Security Council to foil American design against the independence of Bangladesh. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Indira Gandhi both exchanged visits. Then there was a 25-year friendship treaty.
But this euphoria of friendship generated because of the Indian help during the Liberation War could not be sustained for long. This is unfortunate but a fact.
How long will the current euphoria with Modi`s visit be sustained? It is anybody's guess.
The enclave exchange involves several hundred thousand people. But water sharing issue concerns the entire nation. There have been several agreements involving sharing of the Ganges water. But still there are serious misgivings among the people in general and the people in southern region in particular. The people of the southern region blame the Farakka Barrage for even the increasing salinity in the area. To recover the loss caused by the Farakka barrage the proposed Padma Barrage needs to be built. But that requires sincere help and cooperation from India. The Teesta Project is also becoming ineffective because of the unilateral withdrawal of water by India. That should be sorted out immediately. Now it seems that Mamata is playing a cat-and-mouse game. There should be an end to it. India and Bangladesh are upper and lower riparian countries respectively. There should be sincere discussion on finding out permanent solution to the water sharing of 54 common rivers.
The BSF of India is still killing Bangladeshi people like birds. That must be stopped. The trade gap between the two countries is very wide. Of course, Bangladesh is the sufferer. Practical steps should be taken under a time schedule to reduce the gap to a reasonable level.
India is a big country and a large economy also. If it comes forward with economic cooperation, definitely our people will appreciate it.
Let us discuss the visa issue. The more the people exchange visits, the more they will be closer to each other. But the Indian visa system is cumbersome. It should be made easy.
rezaulparvaz@live.com
Improving Indo-Bangla relations
Syed Mahbubur Rashid | Published: June 27, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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