India to sell military hardware to Bangladesh for first time

To neutralise Chinese presence in the sub-continent India will sell military hardware for the first time to Bangladesh for $500 million.

Bangladesh Prime minister Sheikh Hasina is visiting India on Friday for four days after a gap of seven years for a bilateral talks.

During her visit a memorandum of understanding along with a framework for defence cooperation will be signed. A civil neuclear coperation agreement will also be signed during the visit.

Joint Secretary of the MEA Sripriya Rangnathan clarified that though Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accepted an invitation from the PM Narendra Modi to attend the launching ceremony of Kolkata-Khulna bus service, Kolkata-Khulna passenger train along with a goods train service from Radhika pur to Beloina of Bnagladesh, the much awaited Teesta river water sharing agreement would not be signed this time.

Bengal chief minister has also been invited by the President Pranab Mujkherjee for the special dinner at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on April 9, along with other chief minister of the north -eastern states and the friends of Bangladesh.

She also said that Bengal Chief minister would also attend Banquet lunch in honour of visiting Prime Minister but she would not take part in the bilateral talks.

Whether Teesta would be discussed or not, at least informally during the lunch, Rangnathan said that Bengal Chief minister is still not on board on the Teesta river water sharing agreement, which she felt was detrimental for the interest of the people of Bengal. On the same ground she has not given green signal for the proposed Ganga barrage project of the Bangladesh.

She said that, more than 20 agreements or MoU would be signed during the visit.

India would provide a new loc of $5 billion to Bangladesh for development project.