Scaled-up ties with Dhaka augur well

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has successfully capitalised on the groundwork of the past in scaling up our relationship with Bangladesh. It is evident that a relationship of value with Dhaka has not only a bilateral quotient but is also an important link for our ties farther afield in the Southeast Asia region, which successive governments have sought to push for two decades, not always with success on account of the complexities of Bangladesh’s domestic politics.

The government of Sheikh Hasina is friendly to India and has been solicitous to this country regarding many concerns, including those relating to terrorism and the sheltering of north-eastern Indian insurgent groups. In 2011, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could only make a half successful visit to Dhaka since at the last minute West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee pulled out from backing the effort, especially the Teesta waters accord. The Modi government has succeeded in bringing the TC leader around. Indeed, the presence of Ms Banerjee in Dhaka along with the Prime Minister augurs well for the success of the agreements that have been reached.

The centrepiece of the Prime Minister’s visit was the ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement of 1974 to which the Indian Parliament gave its nod recently. The ratification helps to align and settle the surface boundary, which had been a cause of great discord on account of the presence of enclaves of on both sides of the border. The new alignment will boost security.

The Modi visit will be remembered for the greater connectivity it has created. A bus service connecting West Bengal and Tripura passing through Bangladesh territory was flagged off. Bangladesh has permitted Indian ships to use two of its harbours for commercial shipping, one of which, Chittagong, has been developed by the Chinese for possible military use in future. A $2-billion credit line to Dhaka was agreed upon. This will promote Indian exports to Bangladesh. Besides, the Adani and the Mukesh Ambani groups will set up power generation units worth $5.5 billion.

The overall message is cooperation between the two neighbours, but the elephant in the room is the Teesta waters agreement, which was formally not broached during the Prime Minister’s visit but continues to raise concerns. It is not only the Mamata Banerjee government’s approach that will be pertinent here, but also that of the Jamaat-e-Islami opposition in Dhaka, which has tended to look at the Indian connection askance, not least on account of its roots and links with the Jamaat in Pakistan.