New Delhi, Sep 5 : Though India and Bangladesh have traversed a long distance in improving their relations since the 2010 visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, still the eastern neighbour has fears that naturally result from the sheer size of India.
That is how MP Shashi Tharoor, a former UN Under Secretary General and former Minister of State for External Affairs, sees the situation.
"The biggest problem is the relative size of India, which cannot help being 70 per cent of the population of the subcontinent and accounting for 80 per cent of the GDP. Any smaller country is bound to fear being swamped by such a behemoth," Dr Tharoor told UNI.
However, he adds, "I feel that suspicion and anxiety are giving way to mutual respect and confidence in the future." Dr Tharoor's comments come ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh on September 6 and 7 during which many important agreements--those on river water sharing, and demarcation of land border were expected to be signed.
For the first time in any prime ministerial visit, chief ministers of five states,(that share border with Bangladesh) are part of the Prime Minister's delegation. These are Ms Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, Mr Tarun Gogoi of Assam, Mr Manik Sarkar of Tripura, Mr Mukul Sangma of Meghalaya and Mr PU Lalthanhawla of Mizoram.
The composition of the delegation itself speaks of the political significance of the visit and the results that are expected of it.
Though, Dr Tharoor feels that the two countries could have done much more to improve their relations, still he feels that the ties had significantly improved after the Awami League Government led by Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Late Sheikh Mujiburrehman, returned to power in 2009 elections.
"...I believe there has been a marked improvement since the election of Sheikh Hasina Wazed in 2009, and it is matched by an equal determination on the part of the Indian government to improve relations. The impending visit by Dr Singh is aimed at taking a quantum leap forward in these relations," he said.