INDO - BANGLADESH RELATIONS - POST MODI ERA

Peace and tranquility on international border is  must for any nations to progress. Where ever there are disturbances on international borders, it has affected national economy .It also give rise to terrorism , drugs trafficking , smuggling e.t. c. Trade between the counties also get badly affected .Ultimately it is the common people who suffers.

Indian Army fought side by side of Bangladesh Mukti Bahani to earn Bangla Desh Independence. Since the Independence of Bangladesh, lot of unresolved issues were pending for settlement which were  causing  bitterness in mutual relations .But India's Prime Minister sh Modi ,who came to power in 2014 made some concrete moves to settle all outstanding issues on priority between the two countries .Not only he tried , got success as well .   

The historic land boundary agreement  between India and Bangladesh was signed on 6 June 2015 .This was a land mark agreement which opened a new era in the relations and removed  irritants in mutual ties. Both India and Bangladesh are members of SAARC, BIMSTEC, IORA and the Commonwealth.

The eastern Indian states I.e. West Bengal and Tripura are Bengali-speaking states ,as such it will be very useful to our relations .Prime Minister Narendra Modi,  always emphasized India’s ties with its neighbors and is making all efforts in that direction.

India’s relations with Bangladesh have certainly witnessed a significant upswing over the past decade. The bilateral trade has risen to $7 million. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been cracking down on a hardline elements, and has provided India with logistical assistance .In a recent understanding India has agreed to sell Bangladesh 100 MW of power .

But Indo-Bangla  relationship has not been without challenges. In fact there have been a number of setbacks. The Teesta river water treaty couldn't be signed at the last minute due to pressure from Bengal CM  who agreed  for this agreement  earlier but did back out at the last moment .

Similarly, the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement, passed by Indian Parliament  too has had its share of hurdles, due to opposition from political parties .

 Though in election campaign , some odd remark on  Bangladesh was there , but since taking office , his approach to Dhaka has been altogether more cooperative. When he met Hasina on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Modi assured her that he would ensure passage of the land bill.

Since coming to power ,lot of important agreements were signed like the land boundary agreement, and enhancing connectivity and business links – an issue that has been a priority for Modi. India is also agreed to Dhaka’s request of increase the line of credit for projects aimed at enhancing regional connectivity, from $1.5 billion to $2 billion. In addition, Modi  announced lot of other facilities on visa to ease tour and tourism.

Indian PM is trying hard to reach an agreement on pending issues at early as possible.

The India-Bangladesh relationship does carry strong historical and cultural overtones, but both sides also realize the immense benefits of a strong relationship. Though Bangladesh  can not be treated as anti Indian but it should be careful in its relation with China . Bangladesh relations with China should not hurt India . Bangladesh should be able to maintain critical balance in their relationship with India &China .

Apart from the SAARC region, Bangladesh is an important conduit for India’s Act East Policy, and there have even been some proposals of a strong trilateral between India-Bangladesh and Myanmar, such as a gas pipeline. Both countries are also part of a number of groupings that seek to expand South Asia’s connectivity with Southeast Asia and China; these are the Mekong Ganga Cooperation Initiative, BIMSTEC, and the BCIM (Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar) economic corridor project

Time has come for cementing strong relationships between India’s Northeast states and Bangladesh , in India-Bangladesh relationship .

India and Bangladesh share much in common, beyond culture. They represent one of the most important relationships in South Asia and, for India, a vital element in its Act East Policy.

Union minister for home affairs Rajnath Singh promised Bangladesh , India’s fullest support in its fight against “terrorism, fundamentalism and radicalism” during discussions held recently with his Bangladesh counterpart . 

According to a statement by the Indian home ministry, efforts would be made to strengthen the ongoing cooperation between the security and investigative agencies of the two countries through a programme of training, capacity building, information exchanges, etc.”

The two countries agreed to sign a repatriation treaty to “simplify and expedite the procedure of repatriation of each other’s nationals”. The alleged illegal migration of Bangladeshi citizens to Indian states such as Assam and West .

Both sides also focused on the importance of effective implementation of the Coordinated Border Management Plan to enhance cooperation between the border forces of the two countries. This was the fourth home minister-level talks between the two countries .They further agreed to hold home minister-level talks every two years instead of the present three years.

Both the countries are making bold , sincere efforts not only for a very healthy relationship but take it further to a greater heights for the benefits of common people of both the countries.