Mamata Banerjee consulted on Teesta agreement: PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while interacting with media personnel on board Air India One on Wednesday evening, made it clear that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had been consulted at every step while drawing up the Teesta water sharing agreement with Bangladesh.

According to some media reports, Banerjee had refused to accompany the prime minister on his bilateral visit to Bangladesh as she had been 'left out' while the crucial agreement was being finalised by the Centre.

Refuting such claims, the PM said, "I was in touch with Mamata Banerjee. I sent my National Security Advisor (Shivshankar Menon) to brief her and seek her guidance (about the treaty). I was told that all technical details about the treaty had been sorted out. When (Trinamool Member of Parliament and Railway Minister) Dinesh Trivedi raised some objections about it at the meeting of the Political Affairs Committee, I sent the NSA again to meet her. An arrangement was made".

"But some other factors must have come into play and I learnt that she won't accompany me on the trip," said the PM.

He added wistfully, "One learns from one's mistakes. We will continue to work closely with Mamata Banerjee. Nothing will be done without taking into account West Bengal's interests".

He evaded a query on Banerjee's claims that the final draft of the agreement was different from the one she had approved.

"I don't want to comment on Mamata's claims. We want good relations with Bengal and she is a major leader of our alliance," he said.

Dr Singh also pointed out that though such agreements were entirely within the Centre's purview, the government had to "accept critical realities. Provincial sentiments can't be wished away. We have to find coherence in our foreign policy while taking the states along".

Claiming that he was "very satisfied" with his Bangladesh visit, the PM revealed why the trip held a sentimental value for him.

"After the war of liberation, I was asked by then prime minister Indira Gandhi to go to Dhaka to work out a programme of economic cooperation between the two nations. I visited Bangladesh and along with Nurul Islam, the Planning Commission chairman there, worked out a programme of cooperation," he stated on a nostalgic note.

Dr Singh, who visited the Bangabandhu Museum in Dhaka earlier in the day, recalled how he had visited the same building during his first trip to Bangladesh to meet then president Mujibur Rehman.

Batting for stronger ties between India and its neighbours, the PM said, "India will not reach its real development potential if south Asian nations don't work in harmony with each other".

In the wake of the Delhi blast, Dr Singh reiterated his call for all political parties to unite in the fight against terrorism. "We must win this fight. Instead of wasting time in mutual recriminations and accusations, we should figure out how best we can tackle (terrorism)".

He conceded that despite several steps to overhaul security measures to avert such terror strikes, "there are weaknesses in our system".

The PM also urged all political parties to "do some introspection" to address the issue of the continuous disruptions of Parliament during the current session. Without naming any specific political party, the PM rued that frequent Parliament adjournments were a "national loss".

Responding to a question by Rediff.com on whether the massive support for activist Anna Hazare's movement against corruption was a cause of concern for his government, the PM said, "Corruption has become a national issue. All the parties concerned, including the government, must take note of it and take credible measures to minimise the scope of corruption in public sphere".