West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has expressed her disapproval of the recent talks between India and Bangladesh regarding water sharing between the two nations. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Banerjee expressed her discontent at not being invited to the session.
"Such unilateral deliberations and discussions without consultation and the opinion of the state government is neither acceptable nor desirable," she wrote in a three-page letter to Modi.
Banerjee's letter comes after a bilateral meeting between Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, where the two leaders discussed the conservation and management of the River Teesta and the renewal of the 1996 Ganga Water Treaty.
Addressing the media after the meeting, PM said that a technical team will soon visit Bangladesh to discuss "conservation and management of the Teesta River."
The proposed agreement aims to build a large reservoir and related infrastructure to manage and conserve Teesta water. However, this has angered Mamata Banerjee, who for a long time has been opposing the water sharing pact, accusing the Farakka barrage of erosion, siltation, and floods in the state.
"People of West Bengal will be the worst sufferers due to the impact of such agreements. I came to understand that Government of India is in the process of renewing the Indo Bangladesh Farakka Treaty (1996) which is to expire in 2026," Mamata said in the letter to PM Modi.
“It is a Treaty which delineates the principles of sharing of water between Bangladesh and India and as you are aware it has huge implications for the people of West Bengal for maintaining their livelihood and that the water which is diverted at the Farakka Barrage helps in maintaining the navigability of the Kolkata port."
“I love and respect the people of Bangladesh and always wish for their well-being... (but) I convey my strong reservation that no discussion on sharing of Teesta water and the Farakka Treaty should be taken up with Bangladesh without the involvement of the state government. The interest of people in West Bengal is paramount, which should not be compromised at any cost,” Banerjee said.
