The victory of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent elections to the West Bengal state assembly has been received with mixed feelings in neighboring Bangladesh. On the one hand, it has raised hopes among some sections in Bangladesh that with the defeat of Mamata Banerjee’s government, an important “obstacle” in the way of an agreement on the sharing of the Teesta river’s waters has been removed. On the other hand, Bangladeshis are anxious that with the BJP now ruling four of the five Indian states that border Bangladesh, India could escalate the “push-back” of alleged undocumented migrants into Bangladesh
This two-part series examines how the change of political guard in West Bengal is likely to impact India-Bangladesh relations. While Part One will examine whether the two countries could sign an agreement on sharing the Teesta’s waters in the coming months, Part Two will explore Bangladeshi anxieties around the likely intensification of an anti-migrant drive.
———
The Teesta, one of South Asia’s most important transboundary rivers, is tame and timid. Climate issues, including glacial retreat, and a series of dams built on this river in India, have reduced the volume of water it carries.
