Mamata might accompany

Dhaka and New Delhi have begun hectic preparations for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's maiden official visit to Bangladesh, likely on June 6-7.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, among others, would accompany Modi during the visit, said diplomatic sources.

The two countries would discuss the Teesta River Water Sharing Agreement issue then, a source told The Daily Star. 

It said Mamata, who had blocked the signing of the deal in 2011, is now fully on board. On Saturday, she had a lengthy meeting with Modi in Kolkata, and the Teesta issue was prominent there, it claimed.

Sources added that officials of both the sides had already prepared renewals of the revised trade agreement between India and Bangladesh and Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade to have inked those during Modi's Dhaka visit.

The Coastal Shipping Agreement, under which Bangladesh and India would initiate water-route transit and use each other's important seaports, has also been finalised.

Besides, the two neighbours are also expected to sign fresh agreements and memorandums of understanding in the areas of trade and investment, security, energy, blue economy, disaster management, education, culture and fresh line of credit, sources said.

Dhaka would announce an exclusive economic zone for India and a deal for its set-up would be signed.

Ahead of Modi's visit, foreign ministry sources said, the two countries would begin high-level visits "soon" when ministers and top officials of the ministries of foreign, finance, commerce, home, water resources and shipping would finalise deals and agenda for the summit level meeting.

  Diplomatic sources in Dhaka and New Delhi said several ministers and chief ministers of India's West Bengal, Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya are likely to accompany Modi during the two-day visit.

Of them, Mamata, during the meeting with Modi, confirmed that she would come to Dhaka with him.

A source in New Delhi yesterday told The Daily Star that India had proposed June 6 and 7 for the visit and Dhaka accepted it.

However, another diplomatic source said instead of June 6 Modi may come to Dhaka a couple of days later if he wished to witness some portion of the Test between Bangladesh and India, starting from June 10. The match will be played in Fatullah, Narayanganj.