Hope Teesta issue is resolved when PMs, Mamata meet at cricket

Bangladesh minister A K Abdul Momem on Friday expressed hope that the issue of Teesta water sharing would be resolved when the neighbouring country's prime minister, her Indian counterpart and the West Bengal CM come together for a cricket match here later this month.

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has forwarded an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the first-ever Day/Night Test match in India between the two countries from November 22-26.

Hasina has given her consent to attend the event.

"I am hopeful that Narendra Modi and Mamata Banerjee would also attend the match. Given the friendly relations that both the countries share, I hope issues like Teesta (water sharing) would be addressed. It will be like a gift to Bangladesh," the neighbouring country's foreign minister said.

Momem was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Bangladesh Book Fair here.

The Teesta deal was to be signed during the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh in September 2011. It was, however, postponed due to objections raised by Banerjee, who had also dropped out of the prime ministerial delegation.

The chief minister has been opposed to Teesta water- sharing with Bangladesh, maintaining that people in her state would "not get even a single drop".