Mamata to accompany Modi in Dhaka visit

Diplomatic Correspondent: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be accompanied by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee when he visits Bangladesh on June 6.

The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has confirmed this to media on Thursday.

"There is no doubt in this that I will tour to Bangladesh with Prime Minister Modi," She confirmed journalists.

Modi is scheduled to visit Bangladesh in the first week of June. Significantly, an earlier visit of Mamata to Bangladesh in February was characterised as an “ice breaker” between two countries, after which the Trinamool Congress supported the LBA agreement in Parliament.

Earlier some Indian media also confirmed that Mamata had expressed her “willingness” to visit Bangladesh, a senior official of that country’s government said they are waiting for one of “most important historical moments” between the two countries that would “give the bilateral relations a different shape”.

After ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement by the Indian Parliament, Bangladesh wants the two countries to focus on resolving other long-pending problems such as Teesta water sharing issue and delimitation of maritime boundary.

The Teesta deal was set to be inked during the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Bangladesh in September, 2011 but was postponed at the last minute due to objections by Mamata.

The Teesta water is crucial for Bangladesh, especially in the leanest period from December to March when the water flow often temporarily comes down to less than 1,000 cusecs from 5,000 cusecs every year.

risingbd/ May 28, 2015/ Rabiul Haq/ Mahfuz