2 min readKolkataMay 27, 2015 12:53 AM IST
First published on: May 27, 2015 at 12:50 AM IST
Rajnath Singh in Kolkata on Tuesday. (Source: Express photo by Subham Dutta)
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said India and Bangladesh will soon approve the Teesta water sharing pact.
“Both the countries will approve the Teesta water sharing agreement very soon. We are hopeful that we will get full cooperation from the West Bengal government,” Singh told mediapersons in Kolkata.
The Home Minister’s statement came ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka on June 6. The previous UPA regime had to back out on the Teesta agreement in 2011 following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s opposition to the water sharing accord.
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“The BJP government always tries to maintain a cordial relationship with neighboring countries. We have several issues with Bangladesh, which shares border with West Bengal. We have solved the land boundary issue that was pending for the last 40 years. Another major issue, Teesta water sharing, will also be resolved soon,” Singh said.
Taking the Indo-Bangla bilateral relationship forward, the home minister also announced that a Kolkata-Agartala bus service via Dhaka will soon be started. “The trial run is already complete,” he said.
Last week, Bangladesh High Commissioner Syed Muazzem Ali had hoped that Teesta water sharing pact will be signed during Modi’s visit to the country and noted that Indian government has briefed Bangladesh on “internal” discussions the Centre was having with West Bengal government.
A river expert, working on the Teesta agreement, said: “The scientific formula for Teesta water sharing has been given to central and state governments. However, the final agreement depends on negotiations between the two countries and on the political understanding between the two governments.”
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress secretary general and state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee sharply reacted to Singh’s statement on Teesta. “Rajnath Singhji should not have spoken about Teesta water sharing treaty without consulting the state government. It was uncalled for,” he said.
Rajnath Singh in Kolkata on Tuesday. (Source: Express photo by Subham Dutta)
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