Mamata to meet Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi

Following her ongoing South Bengal district tour, Indian West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will leave Kolkata for New Delhi to meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday.

She is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources in the Chief Minister’s Office [CMO] told Indian English-language daily The Hindu.

“She will be leaving for Delhi on April 7,” the officer said. “Prime Minister Hasina will also be arriving in Delhi on the same day on a four-day visit.

“The Chief Minister will also be present in the lunch and dinner [hosted by the President] on April 8.”

Prime Minister Hasina will be staying at President Pranab Mukherjee’s place as his guest. Sources close to the President said that Mr Mukherjee “may have a separate and informal meeting with Ms Hasina and Ms Banerjee.”

To a separate question, the CMO official said, Ms Banerjee is “expected to meet the Prime Minister Modi” in the banquet.

“However, I am not sure about an exclusive meeting between the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister,” the official said.

Ms Banerjee’s decision puts an end to the speculation about her New Delhi visit and meetings with Prime Minister Hasina. The Central Government was expecting her to visit New Delhi during Ms Hasina’s visit to have a dialogue on Teesta river water sharing, one of the most contentious issues between the two countries.

While Ms Banerjee is still not in favour of sharing the water of Teesta, as per Dhaka`s demand as the river provides water to many villages in north Bengal, Ms Banerjee has indicated that she is not averse to having a dialogue with Ms Hasina.

One of her aides said that Ms Banerjee has said that she is visiting Delhi because it is “a matter between the two countries”.

The aide had earlier said that Ms Banerjee’s schedule is “relatively less tight on April 8”.