"Unilateral Discussions...": Mamata Banerjee To PM On Bangladesh Talks
NDTV
"Water flow in Teesta has gone down over the years and it is estimated that if any water is shared with Bangladesh, lakhs of people in north Bengal will get severely impacted therefore it is not feasible to share Teesta water with Bangladesh," Mamata Banerjee wrote.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, objecting to the talks on water sharing between the Centre and Bangladesh -- a session Bengal was not invited to attend. Turning down the Centre's proposal for sharing of Teesta water, she wrote, "Such unilateral deliberations and discussions without consultation and the opinion of the state government is neither acceptable nor desirable".
The discussion on sharing of Ganga and Teesta waters took place yesterday, when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Delhi -- two weeks after she came to attend the oath ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his historic third term.
"I came to understand that the Government of India is in the process of renewing the India-Bangladesh Farakka Treaty (1996) which is to expire in 2026. It is a treaty which delineates of sharing of water between. Bangladesh and India and as you are aware it, has huge implications for the people of West Bengal," Mamata Banerjee wrote. The people of Bengal, she added, would be the "worst sufferers" of such treaties.
