Photo : Collected
The ruling Awami League views Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent visit to India and the signing of several agreements as a significant milestone in the bilateral relationship. Party leaders believe that her visit, shortly after Narendra Modi began his third consecutive term as Prime Minister, indicates that India-Bangladesh relations are stronger than ever. Awami League is now completely reliant on its close ties with the powerful neighboring country.
Furthermore, many Awami League leaders feel that their party is in a more advantageous position because the opposition political alliance in Bangladesh engages in anti-India politics.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited India on June 21 and 22. During the visit, the Prime Ministers of the two countries held a bilateral meeting. Bangladesh signed 10 agreements with India in the meeting. The agreement was signed at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on June 22 at noon.
The agreements include Bangladesh-India Digital Partnership, India-Bangladesh Green Partnership, maritime cooperation and green economy, renewal of old agreements on health and medicine, India's In-Space and Ministry of Posts and Telecommunication MoUs, MoUs on connectivity between the two railway ministries, Agreement between the two countries on marine research, renewal of the existing agreement between India's National Disaster Management Authority, Bangladesh Ministry of Relief and Disaster Management in disaster management and mitigation. Apart from this, renewal of the existing MoU for the development of fisheries resources, MoU between Defense Services Staff College and Defense Services Command and Staff College Wellington-India and Mirpur on military education cooperation in strategic and operational sectors.
In addition to a total of 10 MoUs between the two countries, including 7 new and 3 renewals of the old ones, the Teesta River water sharing agreement only states that a technical team from India will visit Bangladesh for research on the Teesta.
The two main political parties of the country have voiced contrasting opinions about the Prime Minister's recent visit to India. The opposition party, BNP, has made negative comments regarding the visit. However, Awami League leaders are viewing it very positively, disregarding BNP's criticism.
Awami League's Relief and Social Welfare Affairs Secretary, Aminul Islam, told The Daily Messenger that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India, shortly after Narendra Modi was sworn in for his third consecutive term as Prime Minister, demonstrates that the relationship between Bangladesh and India is stronger than ever before. He emphasised that Bangladesh's historical ties with India have been elevated to new heights under Sheikh Hasina's leadership.
Aminul Islam noted that what Bangladesh gains from its neighboring country depends on real diplomacy. He praised Sheikh Hasina for using diplomacy effectively, recalling how she came to power in 1996 and signed several significant agreements, including the Ganges Water Development Agreement. After returning to power in 2009, she resolved many longstanding issues, including the construction of the maritime border. He expressed confidence that the agreements signed during this visit will be beneficial for both countries.
Awami League's Organizing Secretary, BM Mozammel Haque, told The Daily Messenger that the agreements made by the Prime Minister during her visit to India will further strengthen the positive relations between the two countries. He highlighted that the current agreements will enhance the border and regional security zones of both nations.
Mozammel Haque contrasted the current Prime Minister's approach with that of a former prime minister from the BNP era, who once returned from India admitting she had forgotten to discuss the Teesta water issue. He emphasised that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina does not overlook any issues concerning the country, making BNP's criticisms of her visit unacceptable.
Regarding the BNP-Jamaat's anti-India stance, Haque noted that this opposition actually benefits the Awami League more than it harms them. He remarked that India has not forgotten the experiences from BNP's time in power, suggesting that the negative stance of BNP and Jamaat towards India plays to Awami League's advantage.
Meanwhile, the opposition alliance BNP-Jamaat has long maintained an anti-India stance in the country's politics. The reasoning behind this position, as expressed by party leaders, stems from India's support for the Awami League before the 2014 elections. At that time, India allegedly pressured the Jatiya Party to participate in the elections. BNP boycotted the election and started a movement, but it failed to achieve any success. Additionally, India reportedly gave tacit support to the ruling party during the 2018 election campaign.
Recognising this, BNP leaders believed that India would not oppose the Awami League, even if it didn't actively support BNP. Therefore, BNP increased its communications with India ahead of the 12th National Parliament elections and took several steps to garner India's attention. Despite these efforts, when Western countries, particularly the United States, emphasised the need for free and fair elections, India quietly stood by the Awami League. As this became apparent shortly before the elections, BNP openly resumed its anti-India stance.
Messenger/Fameema
