Paschimbanga Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's last moment drama over Teesta watersharing deal has put a shadow on the success of Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh, several Indian newspapers said.

In the last three days they in their reports and editorials have come up with speculations about the reasons of Mamata's objection.

Some dailies, however, held responsible National Security Adviser Shibshankar Menon for failing to tackle the situation. He communicated with the chief minister on behalf of the central government.

The Hindu in its editorial on Tuesday said Mamata's row on the eve of prime minister's visit to Dhaka has set a new low in the shaping of India's foreign policy.

It questioned when New Delhi had been describing the Teesta pact as a crucial component of the visit, why did Mamata wait until the last minute to denounce the deal?

"Although the specific

objections are unclear, the state government is said to have found the agreement 'detrimental to the interests' ofWest Bengal," the editorial mentioned, adding there is also speculation that the decision was prompted by Mamata's difference of opinion with the central government over the state's financial allocation.

Kolkata-based Anandabazar Patrika in a report yesterday said Manmohan was "surprised" at the last moment objection of the chief minister.

Asked whether he would give any political envoy the responsibility to convince Mamata, the prime minister said he himself had been in contact with Mamata and wanted to follow her suggestions.

“The security adviser also

kept contact with Mamata. After discussions with her, Menon informed me that there was no problem with the deal. This led us to con-firm the draft,” said Manmohan.

Mentioning that Trinamool minister Dinesh Trivedi first raised objection on the Teesta deal at a meeting of cabinet committee on political affairs, the prime minister said he again sent Menon to consult the chief minister.

Mamata again objected for some other reasons, the report said quoting Manmohan. But the PM did not clarify the reasons.

The Telegraph in its yesterday's issue reported that although the two countries signed 10 agreements and memoranda of understanding on Tuesday, the deals

were overshadowed by the Teesta deadlock.

Manmohan described his maiden visit to Bangladesh as "very satisfying", the report mentioned. "It would have been better had the Teesta deal been signed."

The Statesman in a report headlined "Teesta discord rocks Indo-Bangla boat” in its September 7 issue gave a different view. It said the Bangladesh government did not sign the transit protocol as a tit for tat response.

Manmohan's two-day visit was marred by New Delhi's last-moment decision against signing the Teesta treaty in the face of stiff opposition from Mamata.

She torpedoed the deal saying it goes against her state's interests.