"India-Bangladesh Ties Under Strain as BNP Government Navigates Competing Pressures"
Neighbourhood First Policy
India's foreign policy approach prioritising deep engagement with immediate neighbours over other bilateral relationships.
Teesta River Agreement
A proposed India-Bangladesh water-sharing deal finalised at the central level but unsigned since 2011 due to West Bengal's objection.
India and Bangladesh share one of South Asia's most consequential bilateral relationships. The two countries share a 4,096 km border, running through West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram. Bangladesh was born in 1971 with direct Indian military and diplomatic support. To counter the US-Pakistan-China axis that backed Pakistan during the Liberation War, India signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship with the Soviet Union in August 1971. This foundational history gave India a sense of special relationship with Bangladesh, though ties have oscillated between warmth and tension depending on which party governs Dhaka.
India's Neighbourhood First Policy places Bangladesh at the centre of its regional engagement. Connectivity projects, energy supply, trade facilitation, and people-to-people ties have all expanded significantly. India supplies electricity and fuel to Bangladesh and is one of its largest trading partners. The two countries share 54 rivers, making water-sharing a perennial and structurally complex dimension of the relationship. The Ganga Water Treaty, signed in 1996 for a 30-year term, is due for renewal. The Teesta River agreement, finalised at the central level but blocked by West Bengal's objections, has remained unsigned since 2011. China has strategically inserted itself into this gap by offering to support the Teesta project, reflecting its broader water diplomacy in South Asia.
On the security side, India and Bangladesh have cooperated through joint military exercises, most notably Exercise Sampriti, which focuses on counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. This is distinct from Exercise Mitra Shakti, which is India's joint exercise with Sri Lanka (conducted at Aundh, Pune, with a counter-terrorism focus). The distinction matters: India maintains separate bilateral security frameworks with each neighbour, and the Bangladesh framework has historically centred on managing cross-border insurgency and Islamist extremism along the northeastern frontier.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), historically associated with a more diversified foreign policy, traces its roots to the era of Ziaur Rahman, who is credited with founding SAARC and establishing early Bangladesh-China ties. The BNP's political coalition includes business lobbies, pro-Pakistan elements, and Jamaat-e-Islami affiliates. This coalition structure means that any BNP-led government faces internal pressure to distance itself from India, even when economic logic points toward continued engagement.
China's role in Bangladesh has grown substantially. Around 80% of Bangladesh's military hardware now comes from China. Bangladesh has joined the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), through which China seeks strategic influence and a foothold in the Bay of Bengal. China also seeks a corridor into the Bay of Bengal, potentially through Myanmar into Bangladesh. …
Which of the following statements about 'Exercise Mitra Shakti-2023' are correct?
1.This was a joint military exercise between India and Bangladesh.
2.It commenced in Aundh (Pune).
3.Joint response during counter-terrorism operations was a goal of this operation.
4.Indian Air Force was a part of this exercise.
Select the answer using the code given below:
'India is an age-old friend of Sri Lanka.' Discuss India's role in the recent crisis in Sri Lanka in the light of the preceding statement.
Match the following joint military exercises with their correct partner countries and primary focus:
Exercise — Partner Country
1.Exercise Sampriti — (a) Sri Lanka
2.Exercise Mitra Shakti — (b) Bangladesh
3.Exercise Shakti — (c) France
4.Exercise Tasman Saber — (d) Australia
Select the correct matching:
Which of the following correctly describes the constitutional reason why the Teesta River water-sharing agreement between India and Bangladesh has remained unsigned since 2011?
Consider the following statements regarding India-Bangladesh relations:
1.India and Bangladesh share a border of 4,096 km, making it one of the longest land borders in the world.
2.The two countries have formal water-sharing agreements on all 54 rivers they share.
3.The Teesta River agreement has remained unsigned primarily because of objections from the West Bengal state government.
4.Bangladesh is a member of China's Belt and Road Initiative.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Consider the following statements about the Ganga Water Treaty between India and Bangladesh:
1.The treaty was signed in 1996 for a period of 30 years.
2.The treaty governs water-sharing at the Farakka Barrage.
3.The treaty is the only formal water-sharing agreement between India and Bangladesh despite the two countries sharing 54 rivers.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to China's strategic engagement with Bangladesh, consider the following statements:
1.China did not recognise Bangladesh as an independent state until 1977.
2.Approximately 80% of Bangladesh's military hardware is sourced from China.
3.China's interest in Bangladesh is partly driven by its desire for a corridor to the Bay of Bengal.
4.Bangladesh is not a member of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
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