Most important neighbours

PM's visit to Bangladesh took big steps forward

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh could hopefully serve as a turning point in India-Bangladesh relations. Much that was fruitful emerged from the visit, which was preceded by the unanimous ratification by Parliament of the long-disputed Land Boundary Agreement or LBA. The latter had set expectations sky-high in Dhaka, where Mr Modi was seen as being, at long last, the powerful leader who would live up to the promises that India has made to its eastern neighbour for decades. While the LBA - and many forms of security cooperation, too - was essentially the product of the Manmohan Singh years, it was passed under Mr Modi's watch, and a Dhaka establishment long accustomed to delay from Delhi responded with understandable enthusiasm. Such was the climate during Mr Modi's visit that the opposition Bangladesh National Party (BNP) - and even the Jamaat-e-Islami - was at pains to claim that their stance had never been "anti-India". It is to be remembered that in the policy shift engineered within Bangladesh by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following her 2010 visit to New Delhi, many Indian demands were agreed to. Cooperation on security was stepped up, and Chittagong and Mongla ports were in effect offered to Indian shipping. But it was the Indian side that was slow to respond, for example, by erecting barriers to Bangladeshi textiles - and much, in fact, remains to be done in that and other areas by New Delhi.

Prime Minister Modi has, therefore, a great deal to live up to. For example, in spite of the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, there did not appear to be any progress on the contentious issue of water sharing. The water of the Teesta and the Feni is still disputed, though Mr Modi said "birds, air and water need no visas" and asked for more time to get the states on board - by which he meant, presumably, just Ms Banerjee. While the Teesta is a core issue for Bangladesh, one which it has agreed to put on the back burner for now, transit was a core issue for India - and here Dhaka has given a great deal. Not only are Indian ships likely to be docking in Chittagong instead of Singapore, but inland waterways might help goods be transported cheaply. Chittagong was the traditional pre-partition port for much of the Northeast and easy transit rights will open the seven sisters up to the world, raising incomes and employment.

There are also steps forward in terms of cooperation on energy. India has promised to increase its export of power to Bangladesh from 500 Mw to 1,000 Mw - not too difficult at the moment, given the excess supply on the grid - and has also agreed to build a high-capacity electric line from the Northeast to north Bihar through Bangladesh. An additional grid connection in the west is also planned. In effect, what is hoped here is that Bangladesh joins Bhutan and Nepal in what is beginning to look like a South Asian electricity grid. This is all to the good. While Sheikh Hasina has been a friend to India, and the BNP is not being obstructive at the moment, the fact remains that the only way to ensure that the bilateral relationship remains solid is through creating economic interdependence. A major start has been made on that. It must be followed up on with all the energy at New Delhi's disposal. Bangladesh then could become, in the words of the journalist Mahfuz Anam, "India's most important neighbour".