West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has arrived in Dhaka for a three-day visit to strengthen ties between Bangladesh and her state.
Mamata landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 9pm on Thursday.
Ahead of her arrival, Banerjee expressed hope that her Dhaka tour would further strengthen ties between Bangladesh and her state and promote business between the two sides.
She told reporters in Kolkata on Thursday evening, according to The Economic Times of India.
"I will carry to Bangladesh the message of enhanced trade links and other exchanges between West Bengal and Bangladesh,"
This is Mamata’s first visit to Dhaka after her assuming office in May 2011.
The same year, she was scheduled to accompany then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit Dhaka. But in protest of the Teesta agreement, she did not come.
The Teesta deal was shelved as Banerjee had objected to the proposed quantum of waters, saying it would harm her state.
During her visit, the two main pending issues – Teesta water-sharing agreement and implementation of the land boundary agreement – are expected to be tabled in the meeting.
Mamata is visiting the country at the invitation of Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali.
Ali invited her to join the historic Language Day ceremony in memory of 1952 language martyrs.
Bangladesh and West Bengal share a common language and culture.
She will also attend the “Amar Ekushey” programmes at the Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday to pay homage to the martyrs of the 1952 Language Movement, and visit the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.
During the visit, Mamata will meet President Abdul Hamid, the prime minister and the foreign minister.
The West Bengal chief minister is leading about a 40-member team which includes her cabinet colleagues, lawmakers, and cultural, business and media personalities.
Her other engagements include an address to a business meet being organised by the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Indian Chambers of Commerce, Kolkata.
She will also have an interaction with cultural personalities of the two neighbouring countries.
In a press conference on Wednesday, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart recently discussed about resolving the pending issues when Dhaka was assured that those would be resolved.
“We were told that it is a matter of time to solve the land boundary agreement. The Indian central government has engaged with relevant state government to solve the Teesta agreement issue,” he said.
Asked if the government would discuss the alleged link between terrorism in West Bengal and Mamata’s Trinomool Congress, the minister said: “It is being discussed at other levels. The home secretary-level talks have been concluded, and in addition to that forum, there is a regular protocol which is used to address the matter.”
There is a widespread allegation that several political leaders of Trinomool Congress have contact with terrorist outfits in West Bengal, and they funded Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami to create instability here.
