Other things apart, the timing and occasion of Indian PM Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Bangladesh beginning on 26 March 2021 was important. The timing was chosen keeping in view the emotionally peak timings of the State Assembly elections in the North-east India, including in Assam and West Bengal, and if not uppermost, it was definitely in mind to take political mileage from the occasion. Here, counted the multi-layered relations of Bangladesh to the people of this region which is going to cast their valuable vote in favour or against the Bharatiya Janata Party, whose charismatic leader landed in Dhaka, just a day before the starting of the first phase of election segments in both states.
In any way, it cannot be called chance, but a calculated move of the party and the Government to win over the hearts of a large number of people who are closely attached to Bangladesh socially, economically, emotionally and religiously. However, there is no question mark on the occasion of the visit as it was the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence, the most important day in the history of any nation. Since the partition of the Subcontinent in 1947, the eastern part of Pakistan suffered a lot on many fronts and ultimately took its own course at the beginning of 1971 which paved the way of its independence by the end of the year. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of present Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, not only struggled hard to achieve freedom, but also sacrificed his life in 1975, when Independence itself was like a new-born baby. The emergence of East Pakistan or East Bengal as an independent nation in early 1972 was an event of paramount significance for the politics of Asia, more especially for the future of Indo-Pak relations.
As India played a very positive role in the independence of Bangladesh, relations between the two started on a hopeful note when India’s then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Dhaka on 19 March 1972 and signed with Bangladesh a Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace which not only laid but strengthened the overall relations based on mutual understanding. Formerly an integral part of Pakistan, it also remained a part of India before the partition of 1947. This common background provided them an extended relationship not limited to politics only. Although India’s relations with Bangladesh in the last 50 years remained peaceful and cooperative, border disputes between them, Dhaka’s close understandings with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the country’s soft attitude towards terror groups residing in Bangladesh, have been a source of difference in the smooth sailing of their relations.
Likewise, in the 1980s Bangladesh and India were also poles apart in terms of Cold War alliances, but they, came closer after the coming of globalisation and economic liberalisation in South Asia and sharing the dais in SAARC meetings in different countries’ capitals and, as a result, now they are the largest trading partners in the region. A major contention between them on sharing of the Ganga waters in the River Hoogly was resolved in the year 1996. Their dispute over Teen Bigha Corridor and the issue of the indefinite nature of lease was resolved between them in 1992 and 2011 respectively. From the beginning till date the issue of illegal immigrants remained a cause of concern for both.
With the coming of BJP government in May 2014, a new focus has been given to improve India’s relations with neighbours, including SAARC countries in the region. Under the policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh in 2015.This visit of the Indian Prime Minister paved the way for the signing of as many as 22 agreements which, among others, extended a $2 billion line of credit to Bangladesh. Under these agreements, India’s Reliance Power agreed to invest $3 billion to set up a 3000 MW LNG-based power plant. In the same sector, Adani Power agreed to set up a 1600 MW coal-fired power plant. In addition, other signed agreements related to maritime safety cooperation, curbing human trafficking and fake Indian currency.
In response to the invitation extended by Sheikh Hasina, Modi paid an official visit to Dhaka on 26-27 March 2021, especially to join the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Independence of Bangladesh. The occasion was also symbolized as the half-a-century strengthened, mature and strong bilateral relations between the two countries.
In response, a return visit was paid to India by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2017. During these visits the two countries resolved several long pending issues and other agreements of mutual benefit were signed. Highlights of these visits include the resolution of long-pending land and maritime boundaries asserting the issue of enclaves, and the conclusion of over 90 instruments comprising high-tech areas and an increased volume of trade between the two countries. Earlier, after the coming to office of the BJP, its External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Bangladesh in June 2014. In course of her visit she concluded various agreements to boost ties and strengthen relations between the two countries.
In line with this, 2018 and 2019 proved no less important in Indo-Bangladeshi relations as their relations in economic, defence, border security and other sectors touched a new height. In 2018, the leaders of India and Bangladesh inaugurated the 130-km long Friendship pipeline to supply 400,000 metric tonne of diesel to Bangladesh. In September, the same year, Bangladesh cabinet approved the draft of a proposed agreement with India to allow it to use the Chittagong and Mongla sea ports for transporting goods to and from its land-locked northeastern states. In the defence sector too, India fully co-operated with Dhaka and in March 2019 New Delhi’s Chief of Army Staff visited Bangladesh and held fruitful talks with his counterpart in order to boost up the defence-related arrangements and sharing intelligence. Earlier, a series of Memoranda of Understandings in areas of defence were signed when Sheikh Hasina visited New Delhi in 2017. These apart, their exchange of visits and mutual understandings include the necessities of border security management, joint military training exercises and energy co-operation.
In response to the invitation extended by Sheikh Hasina, Modi paid an official visit to Dhaka on 26-27 March 2021, especially to join the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Independence of Bangladesh. The occasion was also symbolized as the half-a-century strengthened, mature and strong bilateral relations between the two countries. In course of the visit, the Indian Prime Minister, apart from taking part in the event at National Parade Ground, met M uhammad Abdul Hamid, the President of Bangladesh, and Dr. A. K. Abdul Menon, Dhaka’s Foreign Minister, and discussed with them issues of mutual understanding and benefit. On the last day of the visit (27 March) the two Prime Ministers and the visiting delegation held extensive exchange of views on matters of mutual benefits and expressed satisfaction on the progress of their relationship. In the Joint Communiqué issued at the end of the visit on 27 March 2021, the two Prime Ministers expressed happiness over the continued exchange of high-level visits including Sheikh Hasina’s visit to New Delhi in October 2019 and the virtual summit between them on 17 December 2020.
In a major breakthrough, the two Prime Ministers signed five MoUs in areas of connectivity, commerce, information technology and sports to strengthen further the bilateral ties between the two nations and work together for development in days to come.
