West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed her dissatisfaction with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for excluding her from the recent water-sharing discussions with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during their meeting in New Delhi. In a strongly worded letter to Modi, dated June 24, 2024, she wrote: “I am writing this letter in context of the recent visit of Hon'ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh. It seems that water sharing issues relating to the Ganges and Teesta rivers may have been discussed during the meeting. Such unilateral deliberations and discussions without consultation and the opinion of the state government is neither acceptable nor desirable.” Dhaka, Delhi discussed joint river management: Hasan Mahmud Mamata emphasized the importance of West Bengal's relationship with Bangladesh, stating, “We do share a very close relationship with Bangladesh - geographically, culturally and economically, I love and respect people of Bangladesh and always wish for their well-being. The state of West Bengal has cooperated with Bangladesh on several issues in the past.” She highlighted several successful collaborations, including the exchange of India-Bangladesh enclaves (Chitmahal), the Indo-Bangladesh Railway Line, and Bus Services. However, she underlined the critical importance of water resources, saying, “Water is very precious and is the lifeline of the people. We cannot compromise on such a sensitive issue which has severe and adverse implication on the people. People of West Bengal will be the worst sufferers due to the impact of such agreements.” Peaceful management of border a shared priority: Dhaka, Delhi The West Bengal Chief Minister raised concerns about the renewal of the Indo-Bangladesh Farakka Treaty, set to expire in 2026. She noted, “It is a Treaty which delineates the principles of sharing of water between Bangladesh and India and as you are aware it has huge implications for the people of West Bengal for maintaining their livelihood and that the water which is diverted at the Farakka Barrage helps in maintaining the navigability of the Kolkata port.” She pointed out the changes in river morphology in eastern India and Bangladesh, which have negatively impacted water availability in West Bengal. “There has been eastward migration of the Ganges (and Padma in Bangladesh) over the last 200 years disrupting their link with several rivers in West Bengal. For example, Jalangi and Mathabhanga rivers got disconnected from Padma and the fresh water inflow into the Sundarban has reduced. In fact, the genesis of construction of Farakka Barrage Project is the disconnection of Bhagirathi from the Ganges.” Hasina, Modi endorse shared vision for future enhancing connectivity, commerce, collaboration for shared prosperity Mamata expressed frustration over the lack of response to her previous communications on these issues, stating, “On these issues, I have written several times to draw your attention.” Regarding the Teesta river, she wrote, “Further, it seems that sharing of Teesta water between India and Bangladesh has also been discussed in the meeting. The health of Teesta river has suffered from construction of series of hydropower projects in Sikkim, deforestation in upper catchment and impact of climate change.” She criticized the Indian government’s proposal for bilateral cooperation to restore the Teesta in Bangladesh, noting the lack of concrete steps taken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti to restore the river onthe Indian side. “I am surprised by the fact that no concrete steps have been taken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti to restore the river in its original form and health on the Indian side. Due to reasons stated above water flow in the Teesta has gone down over the years and it is estimated that, if any water is shared with Bangladesh, lakhs of people in North Bengal (West Bengal) will get severely impacted due to inadequate availability of irrigation water.” In her concluding remarks, Mamata reiterated her strong reservations, “Finally, it is to convey my strong reservation that no discussion on sharing of Teesta water and the Farakka Treaty should be taken up with Bangladesh without the involvement of the state government. The interest of people in West Bengal is paramount which should not be compromised at any cost.” Flood-hit people in Sylhet face food, drinking water crisis though water receding

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has congratulated West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party Trinamool Congress for her resounding victory in the by-polls.  In a message to Mamata Banerjee, the Foreign Minister hoped that Bangladesh's relations with West Bengal would be closer and complementary in the days to come in the interest of mutual welfare and development. Read: Mamata wins crucial Bengal bypoll Dr Momen said the landslide victory in the Bhabanipur constituency for the third consecutive term is a reflection of the people of West Bengal's continued confidence and deep faith in Mamata Banerjee's leadership.  He wished the people of West Bengal all the betterment and prosperity under the able leadership of Mamata Banerjee. The Foreign Minister wished the Chief Minister of West Bengal good health and continued success and greeted her ahead of Durga Puja. Read: Crucial bypoll begins in Bengal to decide Mamata's fate Mamata Banerjee won Bhabanipur Assembly by-polls on Sunday by a record margin of 58,832 votes against Priyanka Tibrewal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).  This victory makes Banerjee a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and will allow her to continue as Chief Minister of West Bengal.  She was unanimously elected Chief Minister by the Trinamool Congress legislature party in May 2021.

High drama unfolded in the city of Kolkata on Monday afternoon when West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee staged a dharna outside the office of the country's top federal probe agency in protest against the "illegal" arrest of two of her senior ministers in connection with a cash-for-favours scam. The two ministers -- Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee -- were picked up by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and federal security forces from their houses earlier in the day for their alleged role in the Narada tapes scandal. A legislator of Mamata's ruling Trinamool Congress party, Madan Mitra, and a former Mayor of Kolkata, Sovan Chatterjee, have also been arrested in the case. Sovan left the Trinamool in 2019 to join India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, but quit the saffron outfit days before the assembly polls. "The way they have been arrested without due procedure, CBI will have to arrest me also," the firebrand Bengal Chief Minister said at the CBI office. Read:India: Mamata inducts 43 Ministers into her Cabinet The arrest of the two serving Ministers as well as the two former ministers -- Madan and Sovan served in Mamata's previous government -- comes just days after Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar approved the CBI's plea to prosecute the four accused in the Narada tapes scandal. "Governor accorded sanction for prosecution... being the appointing authority of ministers @MamataOfficial under article 164 and thus competent authority," the Governor tweeted on May 9. The Narada scandal was a sting operation carried out by a journalist that caught on tape several ministers and senior officials of the erstwhile Mamata government accepting cash bribes in exchange for doling out unofficial favours to a private firm looking to set up business in Bengal. Earlier this month, Mamata scripted history by single handedly pulling off an astounding victory in the assembly election. She not only defied anti-incumbency and staved off a huge challenge from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling BJP, but also decimated the Left Front. Though her party swept back to power with a resounding majority of 213 seats in the 292-member assembly, the 66-year-old lost her own seat in Nandigram to her former protege-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari by a thin margin of around 2,000 votes. Read: Game over: How an injured Mamata won against a fully fit saffron squad "This is Bangla's win... this is Bengal's win... this is your win. This win has saved Bengal, it has saved the culture and tradition of Bengal," she said, addressing a press meet on the counting day. Mamata had, however, made it clear in that presser only that she would challenge the result in a court of law. "How come the Election Commission reversed the results in Nandigram after formally announcing it? We will move court." The BJP though has made major gains in Bengal, winning some 77 seats. In 2016, the party had just three legislators in the state. However, the Left Front has failed to grab a single seat this time. The Left Front ruled Bengal for 34 years -- from 1977 to 2011. Bengal witnessed the most high-profile contest in India's recently held state elections. While Mamata harped on being Bengal’s daughter, the BJP asked people to vote for "change and socio-economic development" after 50 years of Communist and Trinamool Congress rule.  

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that those who have from Bangladesh and have been voting in elections are citizens of India and they are not required to apply for citizenship afresh,reports NDTV.