Of all the obstacles created by the Congress’ key ally Mamata Banerjee, her stand on pacts with Bangladesh may hurt prime minister Manmohan Singh the most. For, this derails his neighbourhood and look east policy he chalked out to go down in history as a statesman.
Her last-minute objection to the Teesta river deal and stiff opposition to any concessions to Dhaka is brewing anti-India sentiments in Bangladesh, even as prime minister Sheikh Hasina is trying to build bridges with the border states of India. She arrived in Tripura on Wednesday on a two-day visit.
Diplomatic sources said Delhi’s failure to keep up commitments on sharing the Teesta water and its decision to go ahead with construction of the Tipaimukh dam are bound to sully relations with Dhaka. It is also limiting the maneuverability of the Bangladesh premier to create a “pro-India” constituency.
They said India should have reciprocated adequately to her going out of the way to accommodate Delhi’s primary security concerns to prevent use of Bangladesh territory by the Northeast militants and Pakistani elements.
As a friendly gesture, India had reportedly decided to share the Teesta water with Bangladesh on 50:50 basis. But Manmohan Singh had to pull back from signing the agreement because of the domestic political compulsion of keeping on board the Trinamool Congress (TMC) because Mamata Banerjee said a firm ‘No’. His volte face embarrassed Sheikh Hasina and tarnished India’s image as a reliable partner.
“The people of Bangladesh perceive it as a betrayal of trust as they hoped that the signing of such an agreement would settle the issue of water shortage in northern Bangladesh,” diplomatic sources said. They believe Sheikh Hasina will precisely convey these concerns to vice president Hamid Ansari and Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal in the next two days.
To accommodate Indian interests, Bangladesh has cracked down on Ulfa and other militant outfits, the sources said.
If the Teesta dispute was not enough, construction of Tipaimukh dam near the confluence of the Barak and Tuivai rivers in India has become another irritant. It came soon after Singh had promised Dhaka that India would not do anything that would harm the interests of Bangladesh.
Dr Pushpita Das, an associate fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies (IDSA), also feels that India must act swiftly to stem the downslide in its relationship with Bangladesh. “India should insist on the speedy implementation of the joint coordinated border patrol plan, which would secure the border against smugglers and help reduce unnecessary killings,” she said.
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