Krishna begins 2-day Dhaka visit

Agencies / www.indusvalleytimes.com

New Delhi, July 06, 2011: External affairs minister SM Krishna on Wednesday began two-day Dhaka amidst discomfort in Bangladesh PM's controversial remarks about "anti-Indian" sentiments in the country. Downplaying that the Prime Minister's remarks will have any impact on his visit, Krishna said, "I think there is no damage repair in the sense...The Prime Minister has always held and he is one of the consistent champions of close Indo-Bangaldesh relationship".

Besides Krishna, water resources minister Salman Khurshid is likely to visit Dhaka soon. United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi is expected to arrive here July 25. Manmohan Singh himself is likely to visit Dhaka by September.

In his "off-the-record" chat with editors earlier this week, Manmohan Singh spoke candidly about his assessment of the situation in Bangladesh. He said that at least 25 % of the population "swear by the Jamaat-e-Islami and they are very anti-Indian, and they are in the clutches, many times, of the ISI", the Pakistani spy agency.

Krishna's visit will include meetings with President of Bangladesh Zillur Rahman, Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina besides holding talks with Foreign Minister Dipu Moni. He will also meet Finance Minister AMA Muhith and Leader of the Opposition Begum Khaleda Zia besides signing some bilateral documents.

"My visit would be preparatory to that of our Prime Minister. I propose to review progress in the entire gamut of our bilateral relations with my interlocutors," he said.

Earlier, Prime Minister's comment drew flak from Bangladeshi daily. The New Age said in an editorial: "Given Manmohan's reputation as an intellectual and scholar, there is no reason to treat his comments as merely an innocent remark."

This can "hardly be interpreted as anything but a means to put pressure and create a sense of vulnerability on the government in power, in Bangladesh, prior to negotiations in which the Indian government are expected to seek a number of concessions from the Bangladesh government," it said.