Sources said the meeting is going to last for 45 minutes. (Express Photo By Amit Mehra/File) Sources said the meeting is going to last for 45 minutes. (Express Photo By Amit Mehra/File) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday meet his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, on the sidelines of Visva Bharati’s convocation. The two are likely to discuss issues like Teesta water sharing, cross-border terrorism and the exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to Bangladesh. Bangladesh Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu said enhancing cultural co-operation is the prime agenda of Hasina’s visit. “…when the prime ministers would sit together to talk on the sidelines, naturally there will be an exchange of views on various issues between the two countries,” Inu told The Indian Express from Dhaka. Sources said the meeting is going to last for 45 minutes. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is yet to agree to the sharing of Teesta waters with Bangladesh, citing possible shortage it may cause in her state. Read | ‘It is a matter of pride’: Bangladeshi students in Kolkata prepare for Sheikh Hasina’s visit “I am not sure whether Mamata Banerjee would be present during the deliberations… There may be informal talks over the vital issue of Teesta waters. There is an adverse reaction in Bangladesh over India not sharing enough water. This in turn may negatively affect India-Bangladesh relations,’’ said former Presidency College principal Amal Mukhopadhyay. Bangladesh has been demanding an equal share of waters from the Teesta, which flows into the country via West Bengal from Sikkim. An interim deal in 2011 proposed 42.5 per cent waters for India and 37.5 per cent for Bangladesh. The deal could not be signed because of Mamata’s opposition. Mamata has proposed alternative sharing of waters of other rivers like Torsa. Experts say a deal is crucial for Hasina as she faces elections. “Bangladesh is going to the polls. Fundamentalist forces in Bangladesh are creating pressure and questioning what has she got from India…. the vital Teesta water sharing treaty has not been implemented,’’ said Vidyasagar University’s political science professor Shibaji Pratim Basu. Basu said Modi has allowed Mamata to have a say keeping in view the country’s federal structure. “For both Mamata and Modi, it is also a political question. If Mamata agrees to share more water, it may be politically used against Trinamool Congress. One must keep in mind that Lok Sabha polls are due next year.” Hasina will also on Friday inaugurate Bangladesh Bhawan on Visva Bharati campus in Bolpur Shantiniketan, which will house a library and a museum dedicated to the country’s 1971 liberation war. She will meet Mamata on the sidelines of Kazi Nazrul Islam University’s convocation, where the Bangladesh prime minister will be conferred a DLitt degree on Saturday. Mamata will be the chief guest at the convocation of the university, named after Bangladesh national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam at his birthplace — Churulia. For all the latest Kolkata News, download Indian Express App

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