Not right time to go to Dhaka, MEA tells Aiyar

‘‘Nor is the State Minister for Energy A K M Mosharraf Hossain likely to be in a position to accept an invitation to visit India for a bilateral or a tripartite meeting.

When relations with Bangladesh settle down, we may review these ideas,’’ it said.

The MEA also holds a divergent view on the proposed pipeline crossing onland Bangladesh. It said the proposal, floated in 1992, has been revived several times and has been put to the Cabinet and Prime Minister. ‘‘So far, a decision has been deferred each time. It is our assessment that the pipeline proposal is unlikely to be approved in the near future,’’ it said.

But the Petroleum Ministry is of the opinion that Dhaka is ‘‘favorably inclined’’ to allow passage of the pipeline through its territory to India.

‘‘The visit of the Minister to Bangladesh at this juncture may lead to a quick and favorable decision from Bangladesh,’’ Aiyar’s Ministry reasoned.

To that end, it suggested a tripartite meeting with the energy ministers of Myanmar and Bangladesh, failing which Aiyar would visit Dhaka and Yangon for ‘conversations without commitment’ on import of gas through Bangladesh.

However, MEA has pointed out that Bangladesh was fomenting an anti-India campaign, including blaming New Delhi for the assassination attempt on Hasina.

‘‘Not only compliant newspapers, thinktanks and unnamed officials but we have information that the Bangladesh PM herself has directly and unequivocally blamed a ‘neighbouring country’ for the assassination attempt,’’ it said.

It said that the Bangladesh Foreign Minister went out of his way at a recent meeting to attack India on a range of issues, including the Ganga Water Treaty, trade and even coverage of the assassination attempt in the Indian media.