Mamata to discuss NCTC, Teesta pact with PM Wednesday

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday, would discuss various issues ranging from the Teesta water treaty with Bangladesh to the controversial counter-terror intelligence hub, a Trinamool Congress leader said Tuesday.

The meeting between Manmohan Singh and Banerjee comes at a crucial political juncture when Banerjee had repeatedly upped the ante against various polices of the central government, where they are in an alliance.

“Mamatadi will discuss various issues with the prime minister. But the issues which will top the agenda will be NCTC, Teesta Treaty with Bangladesh, Farakka Barrage water sharing treaty and financial aid to Bengal,” said a party MP, who did not want to be named.

The deal for sharing of Teesta water which flows from north West Bengal to Bangladesh could not be finalised during Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in September last year due to Banerjee’s opposition that the proposed pact gave a greater share to Dhaka than earlier agreed upon by the central and state governments. Banerjee also argued that she was not shown the draft of the treaty.

Recently Banerjee had severely criticised and had joined her counterparts from Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Bihar and other states in opposing the just approved National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), a brainchild of the union Home Minister P. Chidambaram.

The relationship between Congress and Trinamool has been going through a rough patch for last few months after Trinamool – with its 20 MPs in the Lok Sabha and six MPs in the Rajya Sabha – had repeatedly threatened the Congress-led UPA over the issue of out of turn financial package and interest holiday to debt-ridden Bengal.

The issue of over 80,000 cusec water flowing to Bangladesh after sluice gates broke at the Farakka Barrage and resulting in the decrease of river Bhagirathis’ water level, will also come up at the meeting.

The Trinmool MP confirmed that the issue of fast implementation of the tripartite agreement of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) will be deliberated upon by the two leaders.

During her visit to Siliguri earlier this month, Banerjee had blamed the central government for the delay in implementing the tripartite autonomy agreement.