Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Arrives Today

[eastwatch]

Teesta, boundary key issues for talks

Saturday, May 5, 2012Front PagePranab Arrives Today
Teesta, boundary key issues for talks
Rezaul Karim

Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is due in Dhaka tonight, will reassure the Bangladeshi political leadership that efforts are on towards a consensus within his country on Teesta water share treaty, diplomatic sources said.

He will convey to Dhaka that New Delhi is hopeful to overcome political complexities that have clouded the implementation of two key decisions including a deal signing on the water share, they added.

The other issue is the ratification of an agreement on exchange of adversely possessed land, enclaves and demarcation of 6.5-kilometre boundary.

Pranab's visit comes seven months after the setback in striking the Teesta agreement.

He will arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 9:00pm and Foreign Minister Dipu Moni will receive him there, official sources said.

The visit coincides with the first official tour to Bangladesh by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will land in Dhaka this afternoon.

Dhaka will give foolproof security to Pranab Mukherjee and status like head of state/government with SSF deployment. He will arrive and depart through the VVIP terminal of Shahjalal International Airport.

The veteran politician is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Leader of Opposition Khaleda Zia and Dipu Moni.

Pranab starts off attending the closing ceremony of Tagore's 150th birth anniversary celebration, an Indo-Bangla initiative, at the capital's Bangabandhu International Convention Centre at 10:00am tomorrow.

An Indian cultural delegation, including Sharmila Tagore, Pabitra Bhushan Sircar and a dance drama group from the Sangeet Natak Academy, will participate in the function.

Sources said the Indian finance minister will then hold delegation-level talks at Hasina's official residence Gono Bhaban for about 25 minutes. The two sides are expected to discuss the progress of implementation of the joint communiqué and joint statement issued during the visits by the prime ministers.

He will then call on the PM there and have lunch with her.

The two leaders are expected to discuss many bilateral issues, review the accords signed during Hasina's visit to New Delhi in January 2010 and Manmohan Singh's to Dhaka in September 2011.

Dipu Moni will meet Pranab at his Sonargaon Hotel suite at 3:00pm.

Later, the Indian leader will join an interaction with the editors of print and electronic media.

He will meet BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office around 4:15pm and discuss bilateral relations, political situation and socio-economic development.

Pranab will leave Dhaka for New Delhi at 5:30pm tomorrow.

After Pranab's visit, Dipu Moni will make a two-day visit to India from Monday to jointly chair the first Joint Consultative Commission meeting, formed under the framework agreement on development and cooperation.

The meet will discuss a wide range of issues including water sharing, connectivity, border security and trade.

The same day Dipu Moni will attend the concluding ceremony of the joint celebrations of Tagore birth anniversary in New Delhi.

Indian Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar is also expected to visit Dhaka at the end of May to attend the joint inauguration of the commemorative function on Bangladesh's national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.

 

[Shardul.....the lion]

India should get over the deal and finalize it along the wishes of India and Bangladeshi counterpart by finding middleground.

Bangladeshis have helped India quite a lot in controlling Indian extremists in Bangladesh, so they should be rewarded for the efforts.Hasina Govt should have some better bargains from India to show to local population.

 

[eastwatch]

Paranb's visit will again be a talk only visit. He is unable to dissuade Mamata Banerjee from pursuit an anti-BD agenda. Instead of coming to Dhaka, Pranab should better be in Calcutta. Both the leaders speak the same language. So, it is easy for them to come to a genuine conclusion on Teesta water sharing.

 

[livingdead]

Paranb's visit will again be a talk only visit. He is unable to dissuade Mamata Banerjee from pursuit an anti-BD agenda. Instead of coming to Dhaka, Pranab should better be in Calcutta. Both the leaders speak the same language. So, it is easy for them to come to a genuine conclusion on Teesta water sharing.

This impasse (there are many domestic issues on which TMC disagrees with congress) will continue till next presidential election, as congress needs TMC support. Didi knows this well and she will not rest till she gets her pound of flesh.

 

[eastwatch]

This impasse (there are many domestic issues on which TMC disagrees with congress) will continue till next presidential election, as congress needs TMC support. Didi knows this well and she will not rest till she gets her pound of flesh.

This Mamata Banerjee is certainly seeking a kind of central leadership in Delhi. She knows very well that being nice to a India's neighbour does not make her more popular. She has chosen a path to backstabbing Congress in Delhi by not accepting a Congress verdict in relation to BD.

This is a kind of negativism. However, considering the mindset of the Subcontinent population, it makes these leaders strong in their eys, and he/she can come to the media headlines more often. This is cheap, but Mamata has chosen this trick in order to promote her non-agenda throughout India.

 

[Zabaniyah]

Mamata didi is a feisty lady

 

[Joe Shearer]

Mamata didi is a feisty lady

She is a thundering idiot, and a worse anti-democrat than those CPM pigs she has replaced.

 

[joekrish]

I hope the deal gets through and Wish BD happiness and prosperity.

 

[Bl[i]tZ]

He is unable to dissuade Mamata Banerjee from pursuit an anti-BD agenda. Instead of coming to Dhaka, Pranab should better be in Calcutta.

Mamta is not anti-BD, her political calculations say that giving BD water will give her a bad name in Paschimbanga while center hasn't given her enough in return for extracting this concession from her. (Whatever water she gives you, her constituency will be deprived of that. She is right when she asks, what do I get in return?)

You won't find any one with ill-will towards BD in India today since BD is behaving like a normal neighbour. Neither is It harboring islamic militants today and nor is BD a country with significant military to pose any threat to India.

Yes, normal neighbours take time to move forward on their concerns.

 

[Skallagrim]

All talks with India regarding Transit and Teesta should postpone until WB finds a better replacement for Mamata mashi.

 

[Vinod2070]

She is paranoid.

All else flows from this single trait.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Mamta is not anti-BD, her political calculations say that giving BD water will give her a bad name in Paschimbanga while center hasn't given her enough in return for extracting this concession from her. (Whatever water she gives you, her constituency will be deprived of that. She is right when she asks, what do I get in return?)

You won't find any one with ill-will towards BD in India today since BD is behaving like a normal neighbour. Neither is It harboring islamic militants today and nor is BD a country with significant military to pose any threat to India.

Yes, normal neighbours take time to move forward on their concerns.

India should, and must take more steps to help a smaller neighbour forward. There are a dozen ways in which to ease the lives of our neighbours. As far as this particular, Teesta water issue is concerned, Indian hydrological experts have already pointed out that considerable water comes in downstream of the barrage location, and irrigating Cooch Behar will never be a problem.

It is frustrating to see our Mukhya Mantri Jhi playing to the gallery, as she ALWAYS does, and messing up our relations with Bangladesh.

 

[Bang Galore]

She is a thundering idiot, and a worse anti-democrat than those CPM pigs she has replaced.

Hope no one in Kolkata is reading. People have been dragged off to jail for a lot less.

 

[Joe Shearer]

Hope no one in Kolkata is reading. People have been dragged off to jail for a lot less.

She, and her precious pack, Mukul Roy, Madan Mitra, Subrata Mukherjee, the lot, can shove it up.

Their left nostrils, for the sake of the record.

Sorry, forgot Bobby Hakim and Derek O'Brien. Communal, she's not.

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

So will BD be happy if the deal is finalized before ur elections?
Well i do hope, the talk is over soon and the deal will be finalized...
Atleast after that, let me see, if BD members appreciate GoI or come back again with conspiracies