Great Expectations

Arindam Sarkar

It is little known that when eminent Nazrul Geeti exponent Firoza Begum died on September 9, 2014, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had thought of visiting Dhaka to pay respect to the departed singer. But at the last moment, Mamata changed her mind. On December 22, 2014, Mamata again expressed her desire to visit Dhaka to Bangladesh President Md Abdul Hamid during the latter’s visit to Kolkata.

A fortnight later, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali sent a written invitation to Mamata Banerjee, inviting her to participate as guest of honour in the celebrations of Bhasa Divas on February 21.

Having twice missed the opportunity to visit Dhaka, Mamata accepted the invitation from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. “I am happy. I have accepted the invitation. We have an emotional bonding with Bangladesh. It is mutually beneficial to have good relations with each other,” Mamata said. She is leaving for Dhaka on February 19.

But Mamata knows, this will not be just a goodwill visit to Dhaka. Once the cultural razzmatazz is over, the Sheikh Hasina-Mamata Banerjee talks are going to determine the fate of the long-pending Land Border Agreement (LBA), bilateral trade and commerce, Sunderbans and most importantly sharing of Teesta waters that Mamata has been opposing since 2011 – so much that she did not accompany Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Dhaka in September 2011 for signing of the Indo-Bangla Teesta Water Sharing Treaty. A disappointed Sheikh Hasina described it as “unfortunate”.

For more than three years Mamata remained cold to Hasina. “This visit is of great significance. Bangladesh needs Mamata Banerjee’s cooperation to sign important agreements with India. Teesta, LBA, duty-free trade and removal of tariffs and para-tarifffs are important issues that need to be addressed,” said Bangladesh’s Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed.

That the ice was melting became apparent when Mamata declared that she was ready for exchange of enclaves (LBA) with Bangladesh in December 2014. There are 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladesh enclaves inside India. In November 2013, when LBA – a Constitutional Amendment Bill – was tabled in the Parliament, Trinamool Congress MPs opposed it because it would lead to loss of land for the State. But Mamata changed her stance and said she wanted the people of the enclaves to get their rights and supported the LBA with Bangladesh.

Sheikh Hasina appreciated it. “The LBA is almost through. I think the security of the region and Teesta are going to be the principal issues in Hasina-Mamata talks. Rise of terrorism should be a common concern for both,” said Professor Jayanta Kumar Ray of Institute of Foreign Policy Studies, Calcutta University.

River Teesta that originates in Sikkim flows for 315 km, of which 130 km flows in Bangladesh. River experts have told Mamata that Teesta will not fulfill the unrealistic irrigation command area in either Bengal or Bangladesh. There is not much volume of water in Teesta during the lean season from November 1 to May 31, however it is abundant during the monsoon from June to September.

What’s more, sharing of the Teesta would severely affect the ecology of the river, lives of the people and irrigation of the land in North Bengal districts, especially Jalpaiguri. No wonder, Mamata is opposing sharing Teesta with Bangladesh.

Bangladesh complains that India is channelising a large volume of water to meet her irrigation needs through a barrage at Gazaldoba. With inadequate flow of water into the Bangladesh side, the Teesta Irrigation Project is suffering and farmers are living in utter poverty.  

“Mamata is not against the Teesta treaty. She refused Manmohan Singh because the draft treaty was prepared without consulting her. I think, once Mamata and Hasina address the real concerns scientifically, the treaty is a possibility,” said Professor Amiya Chowdhury of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies.

Mamata knows, like her illustrious predecessor, she is on the verge of being a part of history. Former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu visited Dhaka twice. First in 1997, after the signing of the historic India-Bangladesh Ganges Water Sharing Treaty and in 1999 during the launch of the Kolkata-Dhaka bus service.

Bangladesh and Hasina remember Jyoti Basu for the major role he played in the signing of the India-Bangladesh Ganges Water Sharing Treaty in 1996 and praise him for the support he extended to the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. When Basu died on January 17, 2010, the Jatiya Sansad of Bangladesh paid a rich tribute to him and declared to preserve his house at Barodi in Naraynganj as a library and a museum. Hasina flew down to Kolkata to pay respect to the departed leader.

“Jyoti Basu will be remembered for facilitating the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty. We want Mamata Banerjee’s visit to be positive. Now, irrespective of political parties, we want the Teesta treaty to come through,” said Moudud Ahmed, a Standing Committee Member of Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Sheikh Hasina is expected to raise the looming threat of cross-border terrorism during her talks with Mamata. The Burdwan Blasts on October 2, 2014, caused tremors in Dhaka. The discovery that Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operatives were involved in the blasts and that they had spread their tentacles in Bengal shocked the Sheikh Hasina government.

The JMB, which is against the ruling Awami League, was banned in Bangladesh in 2005. Not surprising, after the Burdwan Blasts, the Hasina government, Awami League and the Bangladeshi intellectuals condemned the use of Bengal soil to carry out terrorist activities in Bangladesh. And Bangladesh also expressed shock as to how such elements could flourish right under the nose of the Bengal government.

Speaking about the rise in terrorism, Bangladeshi writer and activist Shahriar Kabir said, Sheikh Hasina is fighting against terrorism and fundamentalism, and has also handed over militants to India. Dhaka expects that Bengal should not allow its land to be used for terrorism against Bangladesh. “We don’t support Jamaat-e-Islami. They should not get support from Bengal. Hasina and Mamata should work to end terrorism in this region,” said Shahriar Kabir.

Meanwhile, Awami League leaders believe the time was ripe for Mamata and Hasina to focus on striking the Teesta treaty and deliberate on how to tackle terrorism in this belt. “We expect bilateral-talks to resolve the crucial issues. Bengal CM should take the initiative. And as neighbours, we want Bengal to check terrorism on its soil,” said Awami League’s Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Haque Hanif.

So a common border, history and language are bringing Mamata and Hasina together in Dhaka this week. But this is one dawaat, where the Bengal CM would find her plate more than full. Given the high ask rate, it is to be seen what Mamata has to offer in return to the Bangladesh PM at the end of her three-day visit.