'Shonali Adhyay' (The Indo-Bangladesh Golden Chapter) a reality or smoke : A Futuristic Analysis

As the India and Bangladesh High-Commands met to rejuvenate the “Shonali Adhyay” (Golden Chapter) of their relationship, a number of long-standing points of contention are being tried to be resolved across sectors. In the post-pandemic era of geopolitical dynamics and with the ‘23 Bangladesh elections knocking at the doors, the 7 MoUs that have been signed after delegation-level talk at the Hyderabad House on pertinent matters such as on connectivity, energy, water resources, trade, border management, security and development partnership are to pave the golden path for the future Indo-Bangladesh relations.

As connectivity remains with a large scope for development between India and Bangladesh, improvement and furtherance of the railways connectivity has been a critical topic of discussion between the two nations, with a MoU being signed for training the Bangladesh Railway personnel. A Khulna-Darshana railway link project was unveiled at the delegation-level talks, alongside inauguration of the Parbatipur-Kaunia railways line. India is also adding fuel to its Act East Policy with the advancement of the Agartala (Tripura) - Akhaura (Bangladesh) Rail Link project as it will provide a much shorter Agartala-Kolkata connectivity.

It has been discussed for long that to counter the growing Chinese influence in India’s neighbourhood, India will have to step up and assist the adjacent nations in matters of Nuclear Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Alternative Energy Sources, Modern Farming Techniques, Infrastructural Assistance and the like. With Indo-Bangladesh MoUs on collaboration in IT systems, cooperation in broadcasting between Prasar Bharti and Bangladesh Television, Scientific and Technological Cooperation between Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India and Bangladesh Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (BCSIR), cooperation in the Areas of Space Technology, unveiling of Unit 1 of the Maitree power plant, and such other initiatives, it can surely be said that India has taken its giant leap forward to deepen its ties with Bangladesh and to off-balance the influence of any other power giant in its neighbourhood.

Contributor: Bipra Biswas,

Assistant Professor of Political Science, Uluberia College,

Advisor, Policy, Domestic Politics & International Diplomacy