Photo: Photo: Ashoke Chakrabarty/The Hindu
In a significant development in the talks between the two veterans, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Thursday, decided to accompany Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his trip to Bangladesh next month.
The decision follows an official request from the Centre. However, the West Bengal CM apparently kept the Centre on ‘tenterhooks’ as MEA officials said they had not heard officially from the State government till late on Thursday evening. Trinamool Congress secretary general and State’s Education Minister Partha Chatterjee confirmed the visit of the Chief Minister, further stating that it would strengthen the nation’s relation with it’s neighbour, in his statement to the media. “We want a win-win situation for both India and Bangladesh. The presence of the Chief Minister will ensure that interest of West Bengal is not jeopardised,” Chatterjee remarked.
The visit apparently is also being held as significant since Banerjee had refused to accompany the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to Bangladesh back in September 2011. Despite much persuasion and repeated requests from the Centre, the CM had opted out of visit at the last possible moment expressing reservations about ‘not being consulted over the proposed Teesta water sharing treaty’, which she had described was against the interest of peasants in Bengal.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who had visited the State earlier this month, had given hints that the ‘West Bengal government would cooperate with key bilateral issues relating to Bangladesh’, particularly the Teesta water sharing treaty. While the Chief Minister has already given approven to the implementation of Land Boundary Agreement, she has also softened her stand regarding the Teesta water sharing treaty.
Tags: B Bangladesh india Mamata Banerjee Narendra Modi
