Why Bangladesh matters and India must shift its Gaze

The visit was indeed significant in many ways but controversy seems to be dogging the Indian Government. A lot of the protocol regarding sharing of the water in two key areas and granting of land access to India to reach its land-locked North-East were not sorted out. Is this a reminder to Mr Singh that he has been spending too much time, energy and effort on Pakistan when a little investment here would have got him better results, especially as far as India’s look-east policy is concerned?

 

As an individual, one is appalled at the security apparatus of the nation or the lack thereof. The state of affairs is indeed shocking and India needs to take some tough decisions. One is tempted to suggest it’s high time Anna Hazare took up this issue or else the Government will just not bother about the life of the common man.

 

The entire visit for which about two years time was invested by the Government could have been handled better. Coming as it did after a gap of 12 years, the fruits of the long overdue tour should have been sweeter. Both the respective Prime Ministers had put their individual reputations at stake. That they still failed to resolve the matter shows how far the two nations must go towards normalising relations.

 

The controversy over the sharing of the Teesta waters and the last minute refusal by Mamata Banerjee were both avoidable. The rights of West Bengal should have been protected. Therefore, the CM was justified in acting in the interest of her State but the manner in which it was done smacked of the proverbial Big Brother attitude which India is accused of sporting when it interacts with its smaller neighbours.

 

A couple of events come to mind. The first is a long interaction as an instructor with a Bangladeshi officer. As the course was in mid-level and passions do run high at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel while doing the Senior Command Course, this officer would invariably go hammer and tongs against the Indian security establishment. He had two grouses — the sharing of river waters and the vexed issue of the enclaves. In this trip, both the issues were to be covered but only one — that of the enclaves — was resolved.

 

This officer was reminded of the creation of Bangladesh and the sacrifice of the Indian soldiers. He felt that, as a nation, Bangladesh grants more credit than due to the role of Mukti Bahini. He also made the point that in the 21st century it was Dhaka and not Calcutta which was the social capital of Bengal as the latter had lost its sheen.

 

This writer remembers the Calcutta of the 1960s. With Father posted close by, it was a Christmas holiday destination. Dhaka then was no match to Calcutta’s splendour but he would always remind his audience that one day his country will progress, its export sector will cross India’s expectations and Dhaka will regain supreme. Mamata’s snub, if seen in this context, thus, throws up a different view.

 

Serving in the garments sector post-retirement provided first-hand experience of how an industry created by Indian entrepreneurs to beat the licence raj slowly lost out to its competitive Bangladeshi counterpart. Their asset was the ability to employ cheap labour and today the nation keeps growing at seven per cent. The bulk of the growth story originated in the skills of the Indian businessmen, who set up shop over there but were slowly overwhelmed by his Bangladeshi brethren.

 

The role of Indo-Bangladeshi relations assumes prime importance today for several reasons the chief among which is checking the Chinese influence in the eastern part of the nation. A strong and assertive China has made deep inroads into Myanmar and also Bangladesh. Bangladesh also provides road connectivity to our land-locked North-Eastern States which must be explored, but not at the cost of water which will become a bone of contention with the Chinese creating dams on the Brahmaputra. Though we have sorted out the complex enclave issue, India, as a nation, has put all its eggs in one basket. It needs to also invest in other parties, such as the BNP, which, whenever it comes to power, will try and stall the good work done. On the other hand, strategic interests are long term conditions that hold good irrespective of political conditions and that is why Bangladesh matters.

 

 

Courtesy: The Pioneer, 11 September 2011

 

 

(The views expressed in the article are that of the author and do not represent the views of the editorial committee or the centre for land warfare studies).