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SUNDAY POUCH

A menu card for Modi

ASHFAQUR Rahman
DI P U Moni, our previous foreign minister, was reportedly more bluster than substance. She was smart but did not understand that there were smarter people than her. She also did not do her homework well. If she had not hired expensive experts and legal minds then our award on the maritime delimitation with Myanmar would have come to naught. This was very evident when we pursued our interests with India. There she left it to
the Indian ruling Congress party to be the
f i n a 1 arb iter of matters in several respects. She did n o t, o n behalf of our prime minister, make the neces s a r ypolitical calculations that would enable her to see whether the Indian Lok Sabha would allow the
passing of bills that would possibly give Bangladesh what Congress had pledged.
Congress was a coalition government and nothing would move if there was no unanimity in the House. A case in point was the passing of the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA). It meant that India's international boundaries had to be changed. The opposition Bharitya Janata Party (BJP) was vehemently against this. In spite of all of Congress' pious wishes, Bangladesh was left high and dry on this issue. The other matter was the resolution of the sharing of the waters of the Teesta. Here the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held the advantage. Her Trinamool Congress was a coalition partner with the Congress government. But as Congress did not consult her properly she declined to participate in the process. Bangladesh was left in the lurch. Congress knew very well that without Mamata the central government would fall. Hence, she shied away. Bangladesh is yet to sign the Teesta water agreement.
The parliamentary matrix has changed now in India after the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has routed Congress and is now the single party with a majority in Parliament. So if BJP wishes it can go ahead with the signing of the LBA which has eluded the two countries from as far back as 1974. BJP knows it can earn all the kudos from the world if it signs the LBA. But it will depend on Modi to move in this matter. So is the case with Teesta. Modi needs to consult with Mamata regarding the possible sharing of its waters with Bangladesh, take the credit and move on. He will definitely appreciate the goodwill shown by Mamata and reciprocate this gesture in a different issue and time. Do not forget Mamata needs funds from Delhi to rebuild her state's infrastructure. The Congress had denied this to her. Modi can also invite the private sector from Gujrat, where he was a successful chief minister, to invest in West Bengal. On both counts Mamata could be amply rewarded.
An important need of India is road transit to its Northeast, and to be able to use the Bangladeshi ports of Chittagong and Chalna. Shiekh Hasina can consider giving this to India now. But transit will be given to India at a price, and Modi knows it. It has to be negotiated. One of the other things we should request Modi to consider is greater and deeper market access of Bangladeshi products in India, and more duty free access and better access by road to Nepal through India. Modi also has to keep in mind that he should not at any time raise the bogey of the 'Bengali immigrant' in Assam from Bangladesh. We can accept that it was election rhetoric. But we must pin him down somewhere in writing so that this provocation is not used again. One of the things that disturbs good bilateral relations between two countries is when such 'non-issues' are flagged in order to provoke the other party.
Bangladesh has clearly pledged not to allow any insurgents from India to operate from its territory. This has led to peace in Northeast Indian states. We should remain committed to this policy in the future. But Modi should note that too comes at a price. In return, Bangladesh must be able to closely cooperate economically with all the Northeastern states. We wish this to turn out into a win-win situation. Similarly, India's recent change of heart to upgrade the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) talks to the governmental level shows that it is keen to participate in and benefit from this process. With BIMSTEC process added on, both India and Bangladesh can work closely towards prosperity.
Modi, when he cares to sit down with Bangladesh, will find a ready friend who is willing to hold his hand for mutual benefit. Can he say that for all his other neighbours? Certainly not in the case of Pakistan. We must therefore offer Modi a tempting menu card of bilateral goodies provided he comes with an open mind and clear conscience. In the past it was seen that major bilateral agreements could be concluded with BJP governments. It has always proved to be good to do business with. For one thing, we know what BJP's position on each issue is, and we can fix our negotiation positions accordingly. Though the negotiations will be tough the final outcome will be good. The Chittagong Hill Tracts issue is a case in point. The menu card that we will hold up to Modi must be doable and deliverable. The Congress was always a different animal. Always sweet in its disposition but hardly able to deliver: