Writes : Devadeep Purohit
IF WE CAN FIGHT, WE CAN LAUGH TOO
Santiniketan: Three leaders of the subcontinent were in Tagore's abode on a cultural mission on Friday but they left the picturesque Visva-Bharati fulfilling their respective political agendas.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee came together at Santiniketan for the formal inauguration of Bangladesh Bhavana, built with a Rs 25-crore grant from Dhaka.
The programme that lasted 1 hour and 10 minutes, followed by a summit between Hasina and Modi, were much more than celebrating common cultural heritage.
Hasina's homework
Among the three, the programme was undoubtedly more important for Hasina, which she used to serve multiple purposes: seeking to strengthen her position in domestic politics, giving a push to pending bilateral issues and reaching out to the international community.
The Bangladesh Prime Minister's speech was steeped in emotion as she explained how her father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, led the fight to restore the pride of their mother tongue. Mid-way through her speech, Hasina choked and narrated how almost the entire family was eliminated on August 15, 1975, and how she was offered refuge in a friendly India.
She eloquently recollected the family's association with Tagore before staking a claim to the bard. "He wrote several of his poems while he was in Bangladesh.... He is more ours than yours," she said, before switching to Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh.
The rounds of applause that followed each time she mentioned Tagore and Nazrul are likely to resonate beyond the borders as over 100 eminent personalities from the world of culture and academia were among the audience at the Bangladesh Bhavana auditorium.
The timing suits Hasina, whose country heads to its next general election this December. "Nothing binds Bangladesh like culture and the love for the language. Those in the audience will take her message back and it will help her," said an observer of Bangladeshi politics.
In the past few years, the pressures of realpolitik had often pushed Hasina to negotiate with Islamist pressure groups like the Hefazat-e-Islam. Although this was billed a tactical move, secularists -- who form the core support base of the ruling Awami League - felt betrayed.
"The secularists can now heave a sigh of relief and that's good news for her," said a source.
Hasina obliquely referred to the elephant in the room and resisted the temptation of uttering the T-word . "There are some pending issues between the two countries.... But on an occasion like this, I don't want to talk about them," said Hasina as she shared the dais with Mamata, whose resistance has come in the way of the Teesta water-sharing deal.
Hasina mentioned the problem of Rohingya refugees settled in camps in Bangladesh. "We extended humanitarian assistance to them. Now, pressure has to be created on Myanmar so that they take back these people," she said, trying to draw international attention to the refugee crisis.
Modi's mission
In his 18-minute speech, the Indian Prime Minister iterated how India stood committed to friendship with Bangladesh. He started his speech in Bengali and Hasina broke into laughter. Modi described how the relationship has reached a " sonali addhyay (golden chapter)" in recent years.
Not only was his speech peppered with praise for Bangladesh for its achievements, it also held out a promise. "The Prime Minister has a vision to turn Bangladesh into a developed country by 2041 and India will do everything possible to help her realise this dream," said Modi, who later met Hasina for a one-to-one meeting.
A source later said that the Bangladesh Prime Minister was very pleased with the outcome of the summit meeting.
What they discussed was kept under the wraps but the "informal summit meeting" was good news for New Delhi.
Against the backdrop of murmurs that India is losing some of its trusted friends like Bangladesh and Bhutan to China, the summit promised the beginning of a new era.
Mamata's messages
In September 2011, Mamata had dropped out of the team that accompanied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on his maiden Bangladesh visit. But on Saturday, the chief minister, who has been keeping a keen eye on national issues, played an active role as Singh's successor tried to engage with his Bangladesh counterpart.
When Hasina and Modi posed for the cameras after the ceremonial inauguration of Bangladesh Bhavana, Mamata wasn't just another bystander. Hasina called her to step forward, probably realising that the picture looked incomplete without her.
The shutterbugs clicked but the shoot was far from over. All of a sudden, Hasina prodded Mamata to come by her side and the chief minister did so with alacrity.
"Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is very dear to us," she started her speech to a round of applause.
"We have plans to set up a Bangabandhu Bhavana," Mamata said.
As Mamata was the first speaker, she probably tried to pre-empt Hasina on the sensitive topic river water-sharing.
"A lot of water has flown down the Padma-Jamuna-Meghna rivers and a lot of water will flow in future as well," Mamata said, which some interpreted as a suggestion that the Teesta issue could be a work in progress.
OTHER MESSAGES
Modi: The relationship with Bangladesh has reached a “sonali adhyay (golden chapter)” in recent years. Prime Minister Hasina has a vision to turn Bangladesh into a developed country by 2041 and India will do everything possible to help her realise this dream
Mamata: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is very dear to us. A lot of water has flown down the Padma-Jamuna-Meghna rivers and a lot of water will flow in future as well
In pic : Chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Prime Ministers Sheikh Hasina and Narendra Modi could not help breaking out in laughter when Hasina requested Mamata, who was standing behind, to step forward and join the Prime Ministers for a photo session in Santiniketan on Friday. Picture by Pradip Sanyal
Source :Telegraph
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