West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, March 9. She had written to the PM's Office last week seeking an appointment. Top on the agenda is a discussion on debt waiver for West Bengal, but the issue of Teesta river water sharing with Bangladesh is also likely to be discussed.
Sources tell NDTV she has struck a positive note on the Teesta issue in her letter to Mr Modi. "Both Bangladesh and West Bengal have issues on Teesta waters. The tangle on the issue can only be resolved through talks," Ms Banerjee is reported to have written.
Ms Banerjee, on her return from Dhaka last month, had written PM Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj giving details of her meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. It was her first visit to Bangladesh since assuming office as Chief Minister of West Bengal in 2011.
"Political differences remain. But the external affairs minister had called me before I left for Dhaka so I thought I should inform the Centre about it," said Ms Banerjee at a press conference in Kolkata today.
In September 2011, Ms Banerjee had pulled out of a delegation to Dhaka led by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was expected to make a major announcement on the sharing of Teesta waters. She claimed the pact would harm the interests of the people of north Bengal through which the Teesta flows. Her move had embarrassed Mr Singh who was forced to drop the pact.
Mr Modi, in a letter to Ms Hasina, has reportedly expressed his willingness to visit Dhaka "soon." He is also believed to have said he would like to have Ms Banerjee by his side on all major announcements related to Bangladesh.
Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, who visited Dhaka as a part of his SAARC yatra, handed over the letter to Ms Hasina's office when he paid a courtesy call on her.