At Dhaka University this morning, the seat of both ferment and higher learning, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh apologised for India and Bangladesh’s inability to come to an agreement on sharing the waters of the Teesta and Feni rivers, but promised that Delhi would not be found lacking in soon finding a viable formula.
The PM said he had already issued instructions “in finding a viable formula which does not cause undue distress to all those in India or in Bangladesh who are dependent on the flows of the river.”
The auditorium at which the PM delivered his address was packed to capacity with Bangladesh’s intelligentsia, including several men who fought on the frontline of the national war for independence as well as those professing allegiance to the opposition Bangladesh National Party. Later, they told Business Standard they thought the PM’s speech had hit the right note, especially as he came clean on his inability to deliver everything that had been promised.
“It’s ok if the Indian prime minister says the river water-sharing was not done. We believe him when he also says a solution will be found very soon, not in years but in weeks,” said Shahriar Kabir, a historian, film-maker and freedom-fighter.
Interestingly, the audience clapped the loudest when the PM announced that India was “committed to providing greater market access to Bangladeshi products in India by removing both tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade.” He reiterated that the notification for removing 46 tariff lines from the bilateral negative list had already been issued and assured them the Tipaimukh dam project in India would not have any adverse consequences.
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The success story of the land boundary agreement came in for a fair share of the praise. Calling it the “biggest challenge,” in which 6.1 km of the border had been finally demarcated, the PM said he acknowledged the “immense cooperation” India had received from Dhaka on nabbing anti-India insurgents.
To be sure, a majority of the audience were pro-Awami League and therefore ready to give an Indian prime minister a keen ear. Several said they had come to hear Manmohan Singh because “it was India that helped us win our war for independence…we were students right here in Dhaka University at the time and it was here that the Pakistani army opened fire as they hunted down sympathizers of the Mukti Bahini,” said Zarina Rahman Khan.
The wide canvas of their stories and the depth of their intensity about India and the help Indira Gandhi provided in mid-wifing a new nation had not dimmed even 40 years later.
Even as they spoke of how the ruling Awami League was frittering away its chances in improving the lives of people, they said they knew success would only come by employing common economic strategies tried elsewhere, such as in India. The ever-patient Manmohan Singh, describing himself as a “teacher and a politician by accident,” seemed to revel in the obvious appreciation.
The morning had begun with songs by Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam which a young girl had set to dance. Vice-Chancellor Arefin Siddique pointed out that the University had been “waiting for the day” when Manmohan Singh would address them.
The PM also seemed ready to accept his share of the blame in the less-than-historic outcome, marred by the unseemly dispute over the Teesta waters and a quid pro quo over transit privileges.
“I believe in all sincerity that India will not be able to realise its own destiny without the partnership of its South Asian neighbours…establishing relations of friendship and trust, particularly with Bangladesh, and the creation and consolidation of a peaceful and prosperous regional environment in South Asia are the highest priority of the Indian government,” he said.