INDIA BANGLADESH RELATIONS

Major points of concern IN INDIA BANGLADESH RELATIONS

• NRC issue in Assam: Since the 1971 war of independence that created the state of Bangladesh, millions of Bangladeshi immigrants (the vast majority of them illegal) have poured into India. This is changing the demography of northeastern states which is causing unrest.

• Rohingya crisis: There are almost 11 lakh Rohingyas refugees living in Bangladesh. While India has supplied humanitarian aid to Bangladesh under 'Operation Insaniyat' for the Rohingya crisis but Bangladesh expects India to put pressure on Myanmar for repatriation of over a million of Rohingyas.

• Border Management: The Indo-Bangladesh border is of porous nature which provides pathway for smuggling, trafficking in arms, drugs and people.

• China's role: The ever increasing presence of China in India's neighborhood is a major cause of concern. The smaller countries like

Bangladesh uses China card to supplement its bargaining capacity against India.

• River disputes: India shares 54 transboundary rivers, big and small. (Ganga River Dispute- concerns in Farakka barrage, Teesta River Dispute, Barak River – Tipaimukh Hydro Electric Project Dispute etc.)

• Presence of radical groups: Groups like Harkat-alJihad-al-Islami (HUJI), Jamaat-e-Islami, and HUJI-B fuel Anti-India sentiments in Bangladesh. Their propaganda could spill across borders too.

Geopolitical Significance of Bangladesh for India 

• Connecting North East India: Bangladesh’s location is a strategic wedge between mainland India and NE seven states. Each of these states is land-locked and has shorter route to the sea through Bangladesh. Transit agreement with Bangladesh will spur the socio-economic development of North-East India and thus help in containing insurgency.

• Bridge to Southeast Asia: Bangladesh is a natural pillar of Act East policy. It can act as a ‘bridge’ to economic and political linkages with South East Asia and beyond. Dhaka’s support in BIMSTEC and BBIN initiatives complement Delhi’s Southeast Asia outreach.

• Strengthening South Asia as a regional power: By leveraging on organizations such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) for promoting cooperation among its member nations to economic growth and securing strategic interests.

• Securing sea lanes of communication: Bangladesh is a major country in the Indian ocean rim and strategically placed nearby important sea lanes. The South East Indian ocean is becoming hotbed of piracy. Bangladesh can play significant role in containing the same.

• Fighting terrorism and deradicalisation: Both the countries are very vulnerable to the propaganda of religion based radical outfits thus they could cooperate in deradicalisation efforts, sharing intelligence, and other counter-terrorism efforts.

• To contain insurgency in North-East: A friendly Bangladesh can ensure that no anti-India terror or insurgent activities can be carried out from its soil.

• Countering China: A neutral Bangladesh would ensure containment of an assertive China in this region, and help in Countering it's string of pearls policy.

Trade and investment

• Bilateral trade: Currently, the volume of bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh is about $7 billion while the trade potential is at least four times the present level.

• Investment opportunities: There are huge opportunities for investment in defense, such as in military hardware, space technology; infrastructural development, and other areas.

> India can expand sub regional cooperation among BBIN countries to cover initiatives in rail which would open opportunities in land ports and land customs stations, air connectivity. Efforts to integrate the region’s economies with road, rail and shipping routes can yield rich dividends.

> Recently, a tripartite MoU was also signed between India, Russia and Bangladesh for development of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh.

• Cooperation in blue economy: exploration of hydrocarbons, marine resources, deep-sea fishing, preservation of marine ecology and disaster management.

• Social sector development: Bangladesh is now a role model for the developing world in poverty reduction, achieving success in health and education and fighting climate change, among others.

Cultural

• India and Bangladesh has a shared history and common heritage, linguistic and cultural ties, passion for music, literature and the arts. Greater people to people contact would percolate to other areas like economic and trade relations especially near the border areas. It would also help in curbing hostilities and lack of trust specially Bangladesh being a smaller neighbor.

WAY FORWARD

• India and Bangladesh share civilizational ties thus play a complementing role in each other's all round development, however the potential has not been adequately tapped. Though there has been many positive development s in recent years like the historic Land boundary agreement.

• India should adopt the Gujral doctrine of unilateral support to its smaller neighbours to gain their confidence especially given China's presence. India should proactively resolve the outstanding issues like Teesta water treaty. India should also help in resolving Rohingya crisis involving Myanmar and Bangladesh. The India-Bangladesh relationship does carry strong historical and cultural overtones, but both sides also realize the immense benefits of a strong relationship. While Dhaka does have some grudges against New Delhi, it has not defined its national identity merely in terms of being anti-India, nor has it neglected historical and cultural commonalities. Significantly, Bangladesh has not been excessively dependent on any one country – ensuring that it maintains a degree of autonomy in its foreign policy – unlike some of India’s other neighbours. Of late, however, it has been seen to be inching closer to China.

Bangladesh is also home to an aspirational middle class that would like to reap the dividends of a better relationship with New Delhi. Over the past decade the country has enjoyed steady economic growth, at an average annual clip of around 6 percent. The other point that will strengthen the relationship is the fact that both countries are keen to enhance connectivity not just between them, but also with other countries in South Asia, for example, BBIN, proposals of a strong trilateral between India-Bangladesh and Myanmar, such as a gas pipeline, etc.

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WATER DISPUTES BETWEEN INDIA-BANGLADESH

Ganga river dispute 

•  In  1996,  the  sharing  of  the  Ganga  waters  was successfully  agreed  upon  between  the  two  nations. However, the major area of dispute has been India’s construction  and  operation  of  the Farakka  Barrage to increase water supply to the river Hooghly.  

•  Bangladesh complains that it does not get a fair share of the  water  in  the  dry  season  and  some  of  its  areas  get flooded  when  India  releases  excess  waters  during  the 

monsoons.  

Tipaimukh Hydro-Electric power Project 

•  Bangladesh  has  been  demanding  to  stop  the construction  of  the  Tipaimukh  Hydro-Electric  Power Project  on  the  Barak  River  on  the  eastern  edge  of Bangladesh. 

•  Bangladesh  says  that  the  massive  dam  will  disrupt  the seasonal rhythm of the river and have an adverse effect on downstream agriculture, fisheries and ecology of the region. 

•  Indian  government  has  assured  Bangladesh  that  it  will not take any unilateral decision on the Tipaimukh Hydro-Electric  Power  Project  which  may  adversely  affect Bangladesh.  

Teesta River water sharing issue 

Teesta  River  originates  from  the Pahunri (or  Teesta  Kangse) glacier  in  Sikkim,  flows  through  the  northern  parts  of  West Bengal  before  entering  Bangladesh.  It  merges  with  the Brahmaputra River (or Jamuna in Bangladesh). The river is a major  source  of  irrigation  to  the  paddy growing  greater Rangpur region of Bangladesh. 

•  In  1983,  an  ad  hoc  arrangement  on  sharing  water  was made, according to which Bangladesh got 36% and India 39%  of  the  waters,  while  the  remaining  25%  remained unallocated. The  transient  agreement  could  not  be implemented. 

•  Bangladesh  has  sought  an  equitable  distribution  of Teesta  waters,  on  the  lines  of  Ganga  Water  Treaty  of 1996. 

•  In  2011  India  and  Bangladesh  finalized  an  arrangement, by  which  India  would  get  42.5%  and  Bangladesh  37.5% while  remaining  20%  would  flow  unhindered  in  order  to maintain  a  minimum  water  flow  of  the  river.  This agreement was not signed  due to opposition from chief 

minister of West Bengal.