Harsh Vardhan making Modi’s message to Hasina govt clear

After some confusion created by the Dhaka visit of BJP leader and former editor MJ Akbar, the party has decided to send a clear message to the Sheikh Hasina government, says top BJP leaders.

Akbar was on a private visit during which he met several BNP leaders amid rumours that India's ruling party may be exploring 'other options' in Bangladesh.

"He may have his own agenda but this was not a party trip," said a top BJP leader close to Prime Minister Modi.

Others in the party indicated Akbar will be questioned about his visit to Dhaka.

He said the BJP was clear and unequivocal in its support to Sheikh Hasina because it is aware of her firm and sincere action against north-eastern militants and Islamist terrorists who were attacking Indian targets during the previous regime.

Party sources indicate that Modi was upset when given intelligence and diplomatic feedback on Akbar's visit -- so he asked Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to send out a clear message.

Over the last two days, the Indian health minister has not only been effusive in his praise of Hasina and her government but has also come up with commitments to help Bangladesh on all possible fronts.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has told a media conference that the process to implement the land boundary agreement and work out the Teesta deal has started and will culminate in a positive outcome in not-too-distant future.

The Saradha scam has badly weakened Mamata Banerjee and the Centre may push through the deal when the Bengal chief minister may not be left with much choice but to accept the deal, if only for her tenuous political survival.

“Modi wants both agreements through and over by March,” says a top BJP leader known for his proximity to the prime minister.

He was keen on a visit to Dhaka but was advised by Indian High Commission ‘not to come empty handed’.

"He will not go empty-handed. That is not his style. He will go with much more in his bag than what Bangladesh can expect," the BJP leader said about Modi's plans to visit Dhaka.

The idea is to plan the visit when the land boundary agreement is through the Rajya Sabha and the federal government is more or less sure of pushing through the Teesta deal.

Sources at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) say apart from the nuclear liability clause, Bangladesh is another area where India is determined not to concede any ground to the US.

Delhi is firm to go with Beijing in backing the Hasina regime which is under Western, specially US, pressure to announce fresh elections in a way acceptable to the BNP-led alliance.

"This is something Modi will discuss with Xi Jinping when the Chinese president comes calling on him next week," a top MEA official said.