‘We can wait with patience for signing Teesta water deal’

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said her visit to India was hugely satisfying.

“There’s nothing frustrating,” she told journalists briefing about her four-day tour.

During the April 7-10 visit, the Bangladesh Prime Minister was given a rousing reception by her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi who came to receive her at Palam airbase breaking the protocol. Ms. Hasina termed it a “pleasant surprise.” She stayed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, which broke the tradition of selecting guests for the presidential palace.

11 deals signed

Ms. Hasina said 11 deals and 24 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) were signed between India and Bangladesh during her visit. The Prime Minister said: “I did not return empty-handed. I got something. Sometimes I jokingly say — I wanted water, but got electricity.”

On the unresolved issue of Teesta water sharing, Ms. Hasina said nobody could stop the water flow. “We are in the downstream and thus water will come down. None will be able to stop the flow of water,” she said.

As for the treaty on sharing Teesta waters, she said “the Indian Prime Minister has pledged to sign the agreement. We can wait with patience for signing it.’

Mamata’s proposal

She also spoke about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s alternative proposal on giving Bangladesh water from four smaller rivers instead of Teesta but did not make any comment.

Ms. Hasina claimed that India built a barrage at the Gazaldoba point on the Teesta when the BNP was in power. But the then government did not raise its voice against this. “Now we are facing the consequence of the barrage,” Ms. Hasina, president of the ruling Awami League, said.

It was Prime Minister Hasina’s maiden official visit to India after her present government was voted to power in the January 5 elections in 2014. The premier last paid her official visit to India in January 2010 which was reciprocated by her Indian counterpart in June 2015.