Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Tuesday that Bangladesh will consider proposals from both India and China for building a major project including a reservoir on the cross-border Teesta river and will accept the one which is better for her country.
Prime Minister Hasina, who visited India last week at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, described her visit as “very fruitful” and said the outcome of her talks with India’s top leadership would play a “pivotal role” in strengthening the existing bilateral ties and opening new avenues of cooperation.
“We have started the Teesta projects. China has made a proposal and so has India. We will evaluate both the proposals and accept the one which is most beneficial and acceptable to the interests of our people,” the 76-year-old leader said while addressing a press conference here.
When asked which side she supports more as far as the Teesta project is concerned between India and China, Prime Minister Hasina said, “We maintain our friendship based on the developmental needs of our country.”
He said, “When we receive a proposal, we consider factors such as whether it is suitable for us or not, our ability to repay the loan, the profit we will get after completion of the project and how it will benefit the people of our country.”
China has completed the physical survey on the project, while India has expressed its willingness to conduct another study regarding the implementation of the Teesta project.
India is believed to have objections to China’s involvement in a key project near its strategic Siliguri Corridor, also known as Chicken’s Neck, while Bangladesh’s foreign ministry had earlier said Dhaka would “take into account geopolitical issues” in going ahead with the proposal.
According to Bangladesh officials, China in 2020 proposed large-scale dredging work on the Teesta river and the construction of reservoirs and embankments without any role from India, but Bangladesh has put the billion-dollar project on hold.
Many analysts say China’s involvement in the project could complicate the India-Bangladesh dispute over a major shared river.
While negotiations on the Teesta water sharing agreement have been ongoing since the Awami League government returned to power in 2009, Prime Minister Hasina today said that “Bangladesh has a long-standing issue with India over sharing of Teesta river water.”
He said, “If India works on the Teesta project then it will be easier for Bangladesh. In that case we will not always have to talk about Teesta water sharing.”
Prime Minister Hasina also said that Bangladesh has a long-standing issue with India over water sharing of 54 common rivers, but added that “if there are problems, there are solutions too.”
He said, “India has agreed to cooperate with us on the Teesta project. A joint committee will be formed which will decide not only how the water will be shared but also how to revive the river, use it for agriculture in the northern region and increase its navigation capacity.”
He said the discussions on water sharing also included cleaning of rivers, building embankments and water conservation measures.
“India will send a technical team after the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty expires in 2026. This team (with its Bangladeshi counterparts) will consider options and negotiate terms,” he said.
During former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Bangladesh in 2011, the Teesta agreement was to be signed between Dhaka and New Delhi, when West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was also going to accompany him.
But Ms Banerjee opposed the pact and expelled him from her party at the last minute.
India and Bangladesh had agreed to sign this agreement, but due to opposition from the West Bengal government the agreement could not be realised.
Indian media reports have revealed that the West Bengal government has decided in principle to dig two new canals to divert water from the Teesta River for irrigation in Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts.
Responding to another question about Ms Banerjee’s objection to the Indian government’s move to share Teesta and Ganga river waters with Bangladesh, Prime Minister Hasina said she did not wish to comment on the issue as it was purely their internal matter.
But Prime Minister Hasina said she has good relations with all political parties in India, including Prime Minister Modi and Ms Banerjee.
Asked how she intends to balance relations between India and China in her fifth term (fourth consecutive term), the Prime Minister said there was no need to balance as her Government was following the foreign policy principle which says – “Friendship with all, enmity with none.”
Mr Hasina said India is very important for Dhaka as it had shed blood for the independence of Bangladesh along with the freedom fighters during the 1971 Liberation War.
Along with this, he said that there are many things to learn from China about how the country can be developed.
“We maintain relations while considering all these aspects,” he said, adding that he never interfered in the relations between the two countries.
“I work for the welfare and development of the country and people and maintain friendly relations with everyone.” She also said that she sees no problem in maintaining relations with India and China.
The Prime Minister said that she went to New Delhi because she had first received an invitation to visit India to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and later she was invited for a State visit to India and now she will go to China as that country has also invited her.
Replying to a question on rail transport to India, he said Bangladesh and India have decided to resume rail connectivity keeping in view their trade, commerce and socio-economic development.
The Prime Minister said that Bangladesh is an independent country and “we have liberated the country through the Liberation War.”
He said that everyone should keep in mind that India is the only power in the world that left a country after helping it to get liberated. He also mentioned the Allied American forces that are still stuck in Japan and the Russian army that is in Germany.
He said, “Even after this, some people say on the railway issue that Bangladesh will be sold to India. How can they say this? Those who say such things have themselves sold themselves to India.”
He said they criticise India publicly and flatter it secretly.
He said, “Look at Europe, where there are no borders. Is one country selling itself to another country there? …Will we keep our doors closed in Bangladesh?”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
