Modi to sign Teesta deal?

Dhaka, May 22 (IANS) Narendra Modi, India’s next prime minister, may sign the Teesta water sharing agreement with Bangladesh which his predecessor Manmohan Singh wanted to sign but could not because of opposition from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a media report said on Thursday.

 

"Modi has been in touch with the foreign ministry over inviting South Asian heads of government to his swearing-in ceremony. He also asked them to find out about how the Teesta water agreement can be taken forward in the shortest possible time," the New Delhi correspondent of bdnews24.com quoted a senior BJP leader as saying.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, while congratulating Narendra Modi on his historic success in India’s general elections last week, had already raised the unresolved issue of Teesta river water sharing agreement that Dhaka keenly wants.

Modi assured Hasina that he would take "concrete and meaningful steps" for a robust bilateral relationship, the BJP leader said.

Modi might also convince Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling to share Teesta waters with West Bengal so that the state has enough waters for its use.

The Teesta water sharing treaty could well be Modi’s first step towards business-like and cordial relations with India’s neighbours and might bolster his image as a strong and decisive leader, the bdnews24.com report said.