Mamata 'biggest villain’ in Indo-Bangla ties
Says Times of India
The Times of India dubbed Indian Paschimbanga Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as 'the biggest villain' in the relation between Bangladesh and India and warned the Indian government to rectify policies before time is over.
“Unless immediately rectified, a watershed moment in India-Bangladesh relations would be wasted,” read the article of the Indian daily yesterday.
The article said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's trip to Dhaka last September was meant to elevate the India-Bangladesh relations to new heights, but five months on, New Delhi has failed to deliver on big-ticket issues and risks, losing most of the goodwill it had previously garnered.
Mamata embarrassed the Indian PM by refusing to accompany him on his Dhaka visit to protest the Teesta river water-sharing agreement.
By this abrupt decision, she not only put the Indian PM in an awkward situation but also left the government of his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina red-faced.
The waters of the Teesta are a vital source of sustenance for north Bengal and Bangladesh.
Even if Mamata wasn't satisfied with the proposed water-sharing formula, there was room for further negotiations.
Mamata has now reportedly expressed reservations over the operationalisation of the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement, signed in Dhaka during the Dhaka meet, the article added.
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