Promises not kept by India
It has been nearly a year since India agreed to export 5 lakh metric tons of rice to Bangladesh. The rice never arrived.
Four years ago Pranab Mukherjee, a powerful minister, came to Bangladesh to see the damages caused by cyclone Sidr along the coast. He announced that India will rebuild one of the devastated villages, a goodwill gesture Bangladesh gladly accepted.Since then Pranab has been transferred from External Affairs Ministry to the Finance Ministry. But his promise to Bangladesh remained unfulfilled.
It hardly pleased the veteran politician when a group of visiting Bangladeshi journalists reminded Pranab of these commitments during a recent meeting in New Delhi."Commitments will remain as mere words if they are not reflected in our actions," Pranab said shaking his head.
In many cases India's promises to Bangladesh have remained as just words, and this should not have happened, according to Indian government leaders, civil society members and columnists who talked to the Bangladeshi journalists during the 9-day tour.
Pranab was candid when he admitted that the delay on the Indian side could create mistrust among the people about such commitments. "I was shown the model of the planned houses. I'll have to check it now why it has not been implemented."
About the botched rice export, he said the food grains could not be exported as an Indian court issued injunction on exporting agency STC.He assured that if the government could not vacate the court injunction it will look for other agencies to export the grains.Pranab, however, said relations between Bangladesh and India will improve and move on.
He assured the Bangladeshi journalists that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will make "substantial announcements" on certain longstanding issues with Bangladesh including sharing of the Teesta waters during his planned visit to Dhaka some time this year."We have special relations with Bangladesh and we're fully aware of Bangladesh's concerns…We have to take steps expeditiously to resolve those concerns," Pranab said.
The cross-section of Indian people who met Bangladesh journalists blamed the Indian bureaucracy more than the politicians in slow implementation of political decisions.The Indian bureaucrats are not on the same wavelength as with the politicians and civil society members.
While civil society members and journalists wanted New Delhi to fulfill its commitments to Bangladesh, the bureaucrats replied that things are on track and referred to various committees and sub-committees set up to deal with the issues.
But top ranking politician like Pranab Mukherjee and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao admitted delay from the Indian side regarding non-realisation of Indian commitments.
Indian journalists sounded pleased with whatever Bangladesh has done or doing in fulfilling its part of the deal.It also appeared that Indian civil society and media are interested in improving ties with Bangladesh and want to see both the countries fulfill commitments given to each other in the 51-point Joint Communiqué issued during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India in January 2010.
However, even some Indians admitted the Indian bureaucracy is still following old strategy to delay in resolving the longstanding bilateral issues, mostly border related irritants and trade imbalance.
It emerged during the talks that the issues concerning Bangladesh have been shelved within the cover of many technical committees, sub-committees, joint working groups, but issues relating to Indian interests are realised on priority basis.
The discussions centered around sharing of the common river water, demarcation of 6.5kms border and transfer of enclaves and adversely possessed lands, trade imbalance, non-tariff barriers to Bangladesh export products and unabated killing of Bangladesh nationals by Indian border guards.
The much-talked "Tin Bigha" corridor, non-ratification of Mujib-Indira Land Boundary Agreement also came up in the conversations. Bangladesh parliament ratified the agreement in 1974 but the Indian parliament has not.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=187814
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