Mamata pulls out of PM trip
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has decided not to accompany Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his two-day visit to Bangladesh which would commence on September 6. Unhappy over the final draft of the Teesta water-sharing agreement which would be signed between the two countries during the Prime Minister’s visit to Bangladesh, she has taken this decision at the last moment. She has also communicated it to the PMO through the state chief secretary.
Originally, the chief ministers of Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and West Bengal were scheduled to accompany Dr Singh. It was also earlier decided that Ms Banerjee, along with state PWD minister Subrata Bakshi, state chief secretary Samar Ghosh and additional director-general (security) Virendra, would go to Dhaka directly from Kolkata on Tuesday morning.
Though Ms Banerjee did not divulge anything in public, sources in the state government said that she has taken this decision after going through the final draft of the agreement.
According to her views expressed in the government circle, the final draft of the agreement would jeopardise the interest of the state, especially north Bengal. The irrigation system of the entire north Bengal is largely dependent on Teesta w.ater. She also felt that the Centre has failed to prepare a proper draft of the agreement which would serve the interest of Bengal.
Earlier on August 31, national security adviser Shivshankar Menon and Union water resources secretary D.V. Singh had called on Ms Banerjee at the Writers’ Buildings to brief her about the Government of India’s stand on infiltration, exchange of enclaves as well as sharing of Teesta water, the three key issues which would be discussed between these two countries during the PM’s visit.
It has been learnt that during the meeting the chief minister had pointed out that West Bengal could not release over 25,000 cusec of Teesta water to Bangladesh which Mr Menon had assured to communicate to the Centre.
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