India won`t harm Bangladesh`s interests: PM to Moni

PM Manmohan Singh assured Bangladesh that India would do nothing inimical to its interests on water and said he intends to take Indo-Bangla Land Boundary Agreement to Parliament for ratification.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday assured Bangladesh that India would do nothing inimical to its interests on the issue of waters and said he intends to take the Indo-Bangla Land Boundary Agreement to Parliament for ratification. Singh, who met Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, told her that the government is seeking a national consensus on the Teesta river water-sharing issue.

Singh reiterated to Moni "India`s vision on water resources and assured that nothing inimical to Bangladesh`s interests would be done. He suggested that Bangladesh join a stakeholder in the Tipaimukh project", official sources said. The issue of the land boundary agreement, which also envisages swapping of each other`s territories spread across 161 adversely-held conclaves, was also raised and Singh recognised that India is to ratify it and said "we intend to take to Parliament", the sources said. On the issue of Teesta water-sharing pending since September, 2011 he said the government is seeking a national consensus on the matter while noting that water continues flowing to Bangladesh and data- sharing in this regard is also taking place regularly, sources said. The Teesta water-sharing deal was scuppered by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in September, 2011 by her last-minute opposition and her pulling out of the Prime Minister`s entourage to Dhaka on an official visit. PTI