The Issue of FARAKKA:
An Introduction
VIII. Ganges: The INDIAN River
Before 1971 India treated Pakistan (of which Bangladesh was a part) over the issue of Farakka with total impugnity. Maneuvering with India in terms of bilateral exchanges of data, proposals and communications, India decided that it WILL have the Farakka Barrage, and no outside consideration - pressure or persuasion - would be considered. Several important components of the strategy were:1. Only bilateral negotiation and exchanges (no internationalization of the issue).
2. Unilateral decision to construct the barrage while carrying on the facade of negotiation and communication with Pakistan to buy time and deflect pressures.
Also, all along this process, among other things, there were two additional factors that worked behind Indian perspective.
1. The myth about Bangladesh (the East Bengal/Pakistan) that it is a water-surplus country and therefore, building barrages to divert water should not be a problem for Bangladesh. The real problem of Bangladesh is draining the surplus water, not lack of water. Thus, whether the barrage is a boon for Bangladesh or not, how can it be a bane?
2. Ganges is an INDIAN river and India has its inalienable right to use the water of the Ganges as she deems fit.
As far as the myth about the water situation in Bangladesh is concerned, it goes without saying that it would be most unlikely that the Indian politicians as well as relevant experts of India are so ignorant about Bangladesh. Yes, during certain months Bangladesh does have surplus water which requires drainage. However, during the other months, it is just the opposite and water is in shortage. Since the withdrawal of water through the Farakka Barrage, it has proven fatal for Bangladesh's agriculture as well as any industry that depends on adequate supply of water.
As far as the INDIAN perspective on Ganges is concerned, there is a deep-rooted, nationalistic claim to the Ganges river and its water resources, which may have influenced the totally-uncompromising and uncooper ative attitude of India in regard to the needs and claims of the neighbors, especially Bangladesh.
"India held the view that the Ganga is an INDIAN river, not an international one. In describing the Ganga basin K.L. Rao quoted Pandit Nehru's 'Discovery of India' that 'the Ganga is above all the river of India.' Nehru wrote before the partition of India. His emotional, patriotic gesture is needed to be treated with due respect to the Indian history, philosophy and mythology. ... In 1968, Dr. K. Rao reiterated his viewpoint in the Parliament: 'After all, Ganga river is an INDIAN river. It is entirely an INDIAN RIVER.'" [Quoting Lok Shoba Debates in Begum, p. 95-96]
As in 1971, Bangladesh was not a headache of Pakistan any more and Farakka became a Bangladesh-India issue or problem. But if Pakistan was dealt with impugnity by India in this regard and the approach was nationalistic chauvinism at its worst, during the post-1971 period, India has been thoroughly consistent in her treatment of independent Bangladesh: it is an INdia-dependent nation. From the Indian side, it appears that not only that a fundamental and massive gratitude Bangladesh owed to India for the instrumental role she has played in Bangladesh' struggle for independence, it was completely natural that in regard to the usage of the water of the Ganges - the INDIAN river - India would do as she deems fit. How can Bangladesh even raise a finger about it? Or, at least, that seems to have been the Indian approach to the issue during the Bangladesh period. It was no wonder that in 1975 India began withdrawing water UNILATERALLY, breaking a previous agreement of merely "test running the feeder canal", not the commissioning of the Barrage". [Begum, p. 113]
But how was that understanding of "test running the feeder canal" reached and how the Bangladeshi leaders, especially Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his party in power, Awami League, dealt with the pertinent issues?
Go to Part IX: The "Ad Hoc" Agreement.
Go to the Farakka Index
HOME
Index of my
writings
Have you visited my site on Kazi
Nazrul Islam?
Genocide
1971 Page?
Hadith
Humor Page?
Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka
Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka
Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka
Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka
Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka
Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka
Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka
Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka
Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka
Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka
Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka Farakka