Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India comes at a time when the relations between the two neighbours are a bit strained

Indo-Bangladesh relations will get a boost with the visit of our neighbouring country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India, beginning today. This will be the first visit by Hasina after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) formed the Government for the second consecutive time at the Centre. The visit comes at a time when the relations between the two neighbours are a bit strained over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam and Bangladesh nurturing defence ties with China. There are concerns that such issues will affect the relationship between the two nations who have historic linkages.

Hasina’s visit provides both New Delhi and Dhaka the opportunity to dispel any prevailing doubts about the future of the relationship and highlight the importance India gives to its friendship with Bangladesh. Indo-Bangladesh relations made significant progress under Hasina’s decade-long rule that began with her second term as Prime Minister in 2009. At present, except for some minor irritants, the alliance between New Delhi and Dhaka is said to be at an all-time high and India considers Bangladesh a trusted friend and partner in the neighbourhood.

After the Uri attacks, our  Government used all possible avenues to try and isolate Pakistan diplomatically. As part of that strategy, it  refused to attend the 2016 SAARC summit in Islamabad and was supported  by Bangladesh. Dhaka was also the first nation to back New Delhi’s entry as an observer in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in 2018, a club open only to Muslim-majority countries.

Recently, after the promulgation of Article 370 and the anti-India propaganda by Pakistan and radical groups, Bangladesh echoed our stance that Kashmir was our internal matter. Again, on the NRC, an initiative primarily undertaken to identify infiltrators from Bangladesh into Assam, the Hasina government refrained from indulging in any negative comments in public.

India and Bangladesh share a deep sense of bonhomie, especially at the Governmental level. Nevertheless, rising scepticism among the people, particularly in Bangladesh, cannot be overlooked. It is an area that demands in-depth introspection as the importance of public opinion in influencing Government policies is established.

In Bangladesh, reasons for apprehensions among the masses include the pendency of the Teesta River water-sharing agreement since 2011. India refrained from signing it during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee objected to the draft agreed upon by the two countries. The delay in the signing of the agreement substantially hurt India’s credibility in the eyes of common Bangladeshis.

Again, India’s initial reluctance in taking a firm stance on Rohingya refugees, a vital issue for Bangladesh inundated by the influx of refugees, further dented public perception. India being a regional power, expectations from it are always high and any fall from them leads to resentment among the people. The most prominent and recent case is India’s disjointed response on the NRC, where one of the arms of the Government assured that none would be deported to Bangladesh while another repeatedly expressed its resolve to deport Bangladeshis and referred to migrants as a security threat. Besides, the venom spewed against Bangladeshis by some political leaders close to the ruling dispensation, who equated them to “termites”, has added to the people’s apprehensions.

Similarly, people in India have been watching Bangladesh’s growing ties with China closely, especially in defence cooperation. In particular, Bangladesh’s recent contract to China for construction of a submarine dockyard has raised eyebrows in India because the feeling on the ground is that such contracts always have some strategic consideration. This unease is despite the fact that during her July visit to China, Sheikh Hasina categorically mentioned that her nation’s relationship with Beijing is economic and with New Delhi, it is organic and cannot be measured by any monetary benefits.

In the backdrop of these niggling issues, Hasina’s visit signifies the special relationship the two countries share. During her stay, she will be discussing a wide range of issues of bilateral, regional and international importance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A deepening economic cooperation is also an important aspect as Hasina will be accompanied by a large delegation of businessmen. In addition, she will participate in the India Economic Summit, organised by the World Economic Forum. So one hopes that the two neighbours will put a salve on any wounds before they fester.

(The writer is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation and views expressed are personal)