#ModiInBangladesh: How the LBA will provide a greater momentum to bilateral ties
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be carrying the "gift" of a ratified Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) for the Sheikh Hasina-led Bangladesh government during his two-day Dhaka visit beginning Saturday. But a lot remains to be done by New Delhi for the greater good of not just the two neighbours who share a 4,096km long boundary but also the region.
PM Modi in making his first visit to India's next door neighbour will be hoping to reinforce his government's foreign policy focus on "Neighbourhood First" as well as its "Act East" approach.
The delivery of the LBA pact will bring some satisfaction to the Sheikh Hasina government that has stuck its neck out in its outreach to New Delhi, in the process drawing strident criticism from opposition parties such as the Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh National Party (BNP) known for its anti-India stance.
Incidentally, Modi will be meeting both former PM Begum Zia as well as the Leader of the Opposition, Jatiya Party leader Begum Raushan Ershad during his two-day visit.
With the Modi government delivering the LBA - it had strongly opposed the proposed pact while in opposition though - it has come as some sort of vindication for the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina that's waited long for India do its bit on the boundary pact.
Foreign secretary S Jaishankar said on the eve of the PM's visit to Dhaka that the "centrepiece" of the visit will be the conclusion of the LBA with Bangladesh with whom India shares the longest land boundary. The PM himself has said that the LBA's ratification "marks a watershed moment in our bilateral ties with Bangladesh".
Significantly, Jaishankar also drew attention to the fact that with the LBA as well as the maritime boundary arbitration between the two neighbours, India has "completely settled its boundary with Bangladesh".
Once the LBA comes into force, New Delhi is hopeful that it will help in the management of the India-Bangladesh border in terms of both stability and security, in the process benefitting both countries.
Describing it as a "confidence dividend", Jaishankar further said that once the border was secure, the two sides will be able to do much more in terms of connectivity which in turn will help in the movement of both goods and services.
Having delivered on the LBA, India is hoping that this will provide a greater momentum to bilateral ties. Said Jaishankar, "We see this having an impact across the board on the relationship and we hope the visit will consolidate and deepen our relationship."
An important member who will be part of the PM's delegation to Dhaka will be West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The Trinamool Congress leader had pulled out of then PM Manmohan Singh's delegation headed for Dhaka at the last minute in September 2011 owing to her opposition to the Teesta pact which was to be inked during the visit.
Her nth hour decision had caused considerable embarrassment to the UPA government, more so as her party was an alliance member.
With the LBA done, the Sheikh Hasina government will now eagerly await the conclusion of the Teesta pact. The Teesta water sharing agreement, if and when it is signed, will mark yet another watershed in bilateral ties.
However, while Mamata may have dropped her opposition to the LBA, it's unlikely that she'll have a change of heart on the sharing of the Teesta waters so easily or swiftly. Not at least until Assembly elections have been held in West Bengal next year for she would not like to be seen compromising on a sensitive issue like water or giving away her state's "rights" on the Teesta waters.
During a meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Commission in September last year, New Delhi had told Dhaka that it was aware of the fact that the Teesta pact is "a matter of priority for Bangladesh". During the meeting, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had also told her Bangladeshi counterpart that the Indian government needs a "political consensus" and that the "process is under way".
Yet another bilateral matter that continues to bother Dhaka and which the Modi government will need to address more rigorously is that of trade imbalance which is in India's favour. Jaishankar voiced the hope Friday that the PM's visit "will see some improvement in the investment climate between the two countries".
Bangladesh is India's largest trading partner in South Asia and bilateral trade was an estimated 6.5 billion US dollars. As part of its endeavour to address the issue of trade imbalance, India wants to have Special Economic Zones in Bangladesh where Indian businessmen can invest. There are indications that an MoU allowing the setting up of such SEZs may be signed during the Modi visit.
With the Indian government having finally delivered the LBA, expectations now from Bangladesh are high. It's for the Modi government to press ahead and forge stronger ties with Dhaka.