Bangladesh, India need to survive, prosper together

Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pankaj Saran has said the relations between India and Bangladesh would not change as both neighbours need to survive and prosper together.
There is no reason to change the relations even after a change of government if there is political goodwill and sincerity to safeguard each other's interests, he added.
Pankaj made the remarks while addressing a country lecture titled 'India and India-Bangladesh Relations' at the auditorium of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) yesterday.
India's policy towards and interests about Bangladesh will remain unchanged in case of changes in its government through the current election, he said.
Pankaj also said Bangladesh and India should continue to broaden the relationship beyond government and politics and enhance people to people contact further.
"We need to know and understand each other better. India wants to continue building a stronger relationship with Bangladesh, no matter which government is in power in Bangladesh too," he told the audience.
On a question about India's failure to sign Teesta water-sharing deal and non-implementation of Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), Pankaj admitted that there was a negative feeling over both the issues in Bangladesh.
"We regret that we have not been able to agree on Teesta water-sharing deal. It is unfortunate that we have not been able to ratify the LBA. That is sad and done on record," he said.
Pankaj said India was committed to bringing a bill to ratify the LBA and building the required political consensus in India to ensure that it was ratified.
"As you know the bill is currently in upper house of the parliament …it was placed in the upper house with a deliberate purpose so that it does not expire with the expiry of the term of the lower house."
On a question about Tipaimukh Dam Project, the envoy said Bangladesh and India discussed the issue quite elaborately and set up a group under the joint rivers commission.
"We have assured your government that India will do nothing which will adversely impact on Bangladesh."
Responding to a question about the current status of the project, he said, "To my knowledge, the construction work (of the project) has not started."
On trade issues, he said India wants to give Bangladesh more facilities, but narrowness of Bangladesh's export basket was a problem as it creates trade imbalance.
BIISS Director General Maj Gen Shafiuddin Ahmed also spoke on the occasion with Chairman of BIISS Board of Governors Munshi Faiz Ahmad in the chair.