Mamata Banerjee Is Disappointed That She Was Left Out of India-Bangladesh Talks

Kolkata: During the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is displeased that she was not included in the consultation process for important decisions between Bangladesh and India, according to sources who spoke with NDTV. According to insiders, she is furious that her government's opinions on important topics were disregarded before decisions were made that would have a big influence on West Bengal.
The Farakka Agreement, which was mentioned in the joint statement, is one of the causes of this. The current agreement is set to expire in 2026, and both India and Bangladesh have made the decision to raise the issues surrounding it and work toward its renewal during PM Sheikh Hasina's visit. West Bengal is heavily impacted by the Farakka Agreement, and Mamata Banerjee, sources have said, has expressed her displeasure as the state government's views have not been taken into consideration on such a crucial issue.

At their meeting on Saturday in New Delhi, Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina decided to establish a Joint Technical Committee in order to start the process of renegotiating the 1996 Ganges Water Sharing Treaty. The Hooghly River is vital to the operation of the Kolkata Port and provides water to the urban settlements along the Hooghly-Bhagirathi river, including Kolkata. The Farakka Barrage is an essential piece of infrastructure in West Bengal, where the Ganges flows into Bangladesh.

Mamata Banerjee is also displeased with the agreement reached on the Teesta waters issue and the choice to dispatch a technical team to Bangladesh to hold talks on sharing water from the Teesta River. West Bengal has expressed worries about the sharing of Teesta waters, and this has been a contentious issue previously.

China has indicated interest in constructing the Teesta reservoir in Bangladesh, and PM Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to visit China in July. India hopes to advance the Teesta Waters Pact as part of its Neighbourhood First and Act East agendas, since it has been a long-standing bilateral problem between Bangladesh and India.

According to sources who spoke with NDTV, Trinamool MPs want to bring up the matter in Parliament, and Mamata Banerjee is expected to write to PM Modi about it. The TMC is probably going to ask its partners in the INDIA Bloc for help with this as well. According to reliable sources, Mamata Banerjee has made it plain that she has no problems with Bangladesh and that she gets along well with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The West Bengal Chief Minister has welcomed the decisions such as e-medical visa facility for people from Bangladesh, which was also announced during PM Sheikh Hasina's visit, the source said.