A bridge from Kolkata to Dhaka
The impasse is a result of the state government’s opposition to the Teesta
The Indian government laid out all the symbolic and financial gifts it could think of for the visiting Bangladesh prime minister, Sheikh Hasina Wajed. Understandably, Dhaka is at the centre of any number of crucial programmes of the Narendra Modi government whether it is the political stabilisation and integration of the Northeast, the east-west land connectivity projects designed to link India to Myanmar and beyond, and the ambitious plans to make India’s eastern shoreline a trading hub again. Bangladesh is also at the forefront of India’s security concerns given the increasing attempts by any number of Islamicist terror groups to make inroads in that country. Which is why it is all the more unfortunate that the Modi government was unable to provide Sheikh Hasina what she needed the most: a credible roadmap towards an agreement on the Teesta river waters. With her own elections coming up, the Awami League leader has been banking on such an agreement to deflect the inevitable criticism that will arise over her closeness to New Delhi. She will at least be able to show off the land border agreement and maritime border settlement — but Teesta would have helped seal a remarkable turnaround in Indo-Bangladesh relations.
The present impasse over Teesta is largely a consequence of the opposition of the West Bengal government and, vicariously, the problems it has with Sikkim over the same river. It is a strong reminder why successive attempts to establish a permanent rapprochement between India and its smaller neighbours have failed: the fact that State governments are important and often difficult stakeholders in such relations. The most extreme example of this was the manner Tamil Nadu politics severely distorted New Delhi’s attempts to handle the Sri Lankan civil war. A more recent example is how a fear that Madhesi opposition to a flawed Nepalese constitution would lead to a political overspill in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar led to India to support a de facto blockade.
Prime Minister Modi has the political capital to resolve the river dispute to the satisfaction of all three sides. Presumably he will seek to do so when the opportunity arises. In the meantime, he is right to boost Sheikh Hasina at home by making it clear how important she is to India. Nonetheless, he should not expect her to wait forever. Which means the real bilateral diplomatic challenge is working out the differences between New Delhi and Kolkata.