Follow up Dhaka visit with tangible action

Mumbai: If Prime Minister Narendra Modi making Bhutan his first foreign destination signalled the premium his government accords to neighbourhood diplomacy, the “goodwill” visit of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to Dhaka earlier this week shows the importance of Bangladesh in the BJP-led regime’s scheme of things.

Bangladesh is a neighbour with which fixing bilateral ties can yield supra-regional benefits by helping refurbish this country’s Look East policy and also in noticeable degree neutralise China’s push in the Bay of Bengal, besides helping connect India to its northeast own more easily, more effectively and more profitably, looking at the geography. The early realisation of this is of value to India, and can be a factor for a peaceful eastern periphery.

As a party, the BJP had appeared impervious to these considerations when it effectively blocked the Manmohan Singh government’s efforts to settle the land boundary issue with Bangladesh, squeezing narrow political advantage out of UPA-2’s fragile position in the Lok Sabha. But early in its government term, the saffron party has chosen not to deviate from its predecessor’s policy-thinking towards Bangladesh. This is a sign of maturity. It projects a cross-party consensus in approaching an important neighbour.

Ms Swaraj’s talks with various interlocutors appear to have been purposive. On a goodwill visit, she wasn’t negotiating or signing agreements. But in her call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and former PM Khaleda Zia, the leader of the country’s most important Opposition party, BNP, which has traditionally not been too well disposed towards India, besides her conversation with her counterpart A.H. Mahmood Ali, the ranking visitor did convey the clear impression that her government accorded value to ties with Dhaka.

In order to capitalise on the enthusiasm generated in the Bangladesh capital, India would do well to stitch up the long-pending land boundary agreement without losing time. This should not be difficult as the BJP — when in Opposition — was the only real hurdle to it. Exploiting its numerical majority in Parliament, the Modi government should also persuade chief minister Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal to ease up on its obstructionism and help conclude the Teesta river accord at the earliest.

Apparently, the signs are hopeful. Fifty-four big and small rivers enter Bangladesh from India. This country, therefore, can help in Bangladesh’s water management in a big way by building reservoirs, irrigation projects and hydropower plants.