Visiting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today urged all to “keep faith in her for resolving the much-talked-about Teesta water sharing issue”.
“Keep faith in me regarding the Teesta issue … I will talk to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina … and hopefully this problem would be resolved soon,” she said during interactions with eminent litterateurs and cultural personalities at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital.She said there were some “misunderstandings” over signing of the Teesta water sharing agreement with Bangladesh, but these misunderstandings would not remain so long as no one can sever our bond of relationship deeply rooted in the flow of rivers of the Padma, the Meghna and the Jamuna.
“Although there were some problems on our part and on the part of Bangladesh as well regarding Teesta water sharing issue, I think these would not be a major issue to resolving that crisis,” she added.
Regarding land boundary, Mamata said this problem has already been solved as the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) would be made effective after its approval in the Indian parliament soon.
The West Bengal chief minister said the “Paschimbanga” (West Bengal) and Bangladesh have to expand their relations in more areas, especially in the sports and cultural arena for the welfare of the people especially those are Bengali-speaking.
In this connection, she stressed enhancing cultural exchange programme, holding joint film festival and cultural function in two countries for increasing people-to-people contact among the Bengali-speaking people both in Bangladesh and in India.
Responding to a query, she said there is no bar to telecasting Bangladeshi TV channels in West Bengal. It is totally a business matter; she said, adding that some Bangladeshi TV stations have been airing their programmes in West Bengal.
“I welcome you to Paschimbanga with your TV channels as West Bengal is open to all … you the cultural personalities can visit our state with your programmes,” she said.
About holding joint film festival in both the countries, she proposed the constitution of a six-member committee headed by eminent cultural personality and Minister for Cultural Affairs Asaduzzaman Noor to regularly organise the festival in both the countries and facilitate exchange of visit of cultural groups. In the function, she announced to donate 500 books to Bangladesh.
In her initial remarks, Mamata also said political and geographical barriers can’t sever relations between Bangladesh and West Bengal as they have strong cultural and historical ties that are deeply rooted due to love and affection for each other and self-respect over the decades.
Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pankaj Saran moderated the inaugural session and later Mamata Banerjee moderated the interaction session.
A number of renowned singers and poets both from Paschimbanga and Bangladesh took part in live performances at the request of the chief minister.
Mamata Banerjee recited a self-composed poem named “Mati” (Soil), while Asaduzzaman Noor, Bangladesh’s cultural affairs minister, recited from “Nurul Diner Sara Jibon” and Bangladesh singers Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin, Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya, Sadi Mohammad, and Fakir Alamgir, along with Indian singers, including Nachiketa, and the chief minister sang the national anthems of Bangladesh and India in chorus. – BSS
