Trinamool government seeks inclusion in GWST talks between India and Bangladesh

The West Bengal government in India has insisted on being involved in the talks between India and Bangladesh on the water sharing between the Ganga and the Teesta, Trinamool Congress MP Ritabrata Banerjee said on Tuesday (25 March), says The Hindu.

"These are the two major rivers which flow through Bengal and enter Bangladesh. The central government must ensure that the Bengal government is included in the bilateral talks with Bangladesh, whether on the renewal of the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty (GWST) or on the signing of a treaty to share waters of the Teesta," he said in the Upper House.

The GWST, which was signed back in 1996, will expire next year. Both the Indian and the Bangladesh governments are working for its renewal as large stretches of Bangladesh are dependent on the Ganga.

The Bangladesh government has been insisting on signing a water treaty to share the waters of the Teesta, a move which West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has opposed time and again, says The Hindu.

"The Bengal government's presence in such talks is important to ensure that the interests of Bengal and its residents are not affected. Due to a change in river morphology, the courses of these rivers have changed, and the Calcutta Port is also facing problems.... Also, sharing of the Teesta water would pose problems in the northern parts of the state as people there are largely dependent on the river for drinking, irrigation and other purposes," Banerjee added.

In his speech, the MP also highlighted the letters Mamata sent to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing her concern on the sharing of the Teesta waters and on the renewal of the GWST without considering West Bengal's ground realities.

His assertion follows the visit of a delegation of the joint river commission from Bangladesh to Farakka to measure the discharge of water from the barrage to Bangladesh during winter.

Earlier in March, the team went to Farakka and inspected the discharge. They also held a meeting with Indian representatives of the joint river commission.

Political observers pointed out that since August last year, that is, after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh, hydro diplomacy between the countries has taken a different turn.

"The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government is insistent on renewing the GWST and wants India to sign the treaty on the Teesta. It is also conducting public hearings in Bangladesh while elaborating on the proposal for a mega project on the Teesta and its banks proposed by China," said a political analyst privy to developments in Bangladesh.

As Assembly elections will be held in WestBengal in 2026, the Trinamool leadership is also trying to drive home the point that it is sincere about West Bengal's interest as far as sharing the waters of the Ganga and the Teesta goes, the analyst said.

"It will be interesting to see how the BJP handles the pressure that the TMC is trying to exert on it on this issue," he added.