FORMER diplomats of both Bangladesh and India on Friday decried India’s feet dragging on the Teesta Water Sharing treaty and ratification of the land boundary deal signed between the two neighbours in 1974. Speaking at a two-day India-Bangladesh High Commissioners Summit in Dhaka, the retired diplomats underscored the need for ‘autonomy’ of the Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission to ensure most effective joint efforts in maximising the benefits from common river systems to both the countries, as per a report of a local daily.’It is sad that we are not responding to the Teesta Water Sharing and settlement of the land boundary issue. Responsibility must be borne by India,’ said IS Chadha, former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh. India should have a domestic political consensus before signing the land boundary deal for which a constitutional amendment is required, according to the retired diplomat, who was posted to Dhaka in 1985-1989.On the sidelines of the business session, former Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty said India expected Bangladesh to return to an ‘ideal democracy’. ‘Everyone wants a good election and an effective opposition in parliament,’ he said while reflecting on the Bangladesh’s one-sided general polls held on January 5 this year. The shame is it is only India that officially recognized the election-less government as legitimately elected government.It is obvious that India needs to carry out water sharing agreements as we share 54 rivers. But a treaty exists on the sharing of the water of only the Ganges. It is foot dragging because it can’t afford to antagonize the West Bengal government of Mamata Banerjee which has opposed both the Teesta Water Sharing Agreement and the Enclaves swaps which would have helped the citizens of both nations. Thus, it becomes obvious that the political will to do was lacking.Another obvious bone of contention is the border killings which the BSF of India seem to carry out with impunity. Routine torture and beatings of Bangladeshi nationals should not be a favourite pastime of the BSF. They must carry it in mind that Bangladesh citizens are also human beings. Indian government should stop such killing once for all.An election is supposed to be a selection of the few who are capable of looking after the best interests of the many by the many and most certainly not by the same few who are in power in the first place. Our government has chosen the path of destroying democracy and cling to power against the wishes of the people. Such a situation is not good for friendly relationship with India. The wishes of the people have to be respected and democratically elected government has to be installed.
