On December 30, 2018, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, emerged victorious in the elections to the Bangladesh Parliament, for a third consecutive term. Her party, the Awami League secured a landslide win with 288 out of the 300 seats, on the promise of charting a new path of economic development for Bangladesh, based on strengthened democratic institutions. Amidst charges of human rights violations and curbing freedom of expression, the government must secure a vibrant liberal democratic order by ensuring transparency of institutions and debates on nationally-relevant issues.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pledged to transform Bangladesh into a developed country by 2041during the election campaigns. To her credit, in 2018, Bangladesh moved from the category of Least Developed Country (LDC), by fulfilling the eligibility criteria for recognition as a developing country, as outlined by the United Nations. The economic growth rate of Bangladesh has been steadily above 6% for almost a decade now. Various infrastructure projects have been undertaken to increase the pace of development.
India holds interest in Bangladesh’s electoral verdicts due to the latter’s significance in terms of India’s security due to geographical proximity, connectivity to the North East region and implementation of the Act East policy. Diplomatic relations and cooperation between both countries has steadily grown under the Awami League and is crucial for the maintenance of peace, stability and prosperity in the South Asian region.
Since 2015, bilateral ties between India and Bangladesh have become more comprehensive and multi-dimensional. The land boundary agreement between both countries was ratified 41 years after the 1974 Indira-Mujib Border Accord. 11 agreements and 24 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed across trade, connectivity, energy, defense, civil nuclear, transport etc.
The power and energy sectors include agreements worth $13 billion. The International Solar Alliance marks the beginning of cooperation in the solar energy sector. India has been supplying 660 MW of power through the Bheramara-Bahrampur and Tripura-Comilla inter-connection. Private Indian conglomerates, Adani and Reliance Groups have agreements with Bangladesh over electricity supply, with the introduction of a line of credit of 4.5 billion in April 2017.
Railways is another crucial area of cooperation as a vehicle for a significant chunk of bilateral trade and boosting people-to-people ties. In September 2018, the Agartala-Akhaura rail project was inaugurated. Moreover, both countries decided to revamp the Chilahati-Haldibari rail connectivity to facilitate movement of freight and passenger trains from Bangladesh to Darjeeling, via Siliguri.
Bangladesh’s principled and unequivocal intolerance against any form of terrorism on domestic soil, especially against India, is the hallmark of bilateral cooperation. In understanding Bangladesh’s aspirations and providing necessary aid, India must consider and strive to resolve certain issues of contention that impact regional stability. This mainly includes the conclusion of the water-sharing treaty for Teesta river and the crisis of the Rohingya refugees.
The Indian government closed 2018 with the fourth tranche of relief assistance (winter relief materials in the form of 2,25,000 blankets, 2,00,000 woolen sweaters and 500 solar street lights) to the Bangladesh government, for distribution amongst Rohingya refugees as well as the local population whose lives have been affected.
India plays an important role in the internal politics of Bangladesh and hence, its stance on the Rohingya crisis will continue to be microscopically scrutinized, both, in terms of humanitarian assistance and policy advice. This is a test for India’s neighbourhood diplomacy, as it involves balancing relations with two South Asian regional players, Bangladesh and Myanmar, in the face of safeguarding national interests amidst regional expectations.
India Outbound
January 3, 2019
source https://indiaoutbound.org/indias-bond-with-bangladesh-amidst-changing-political-landscapes/
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