DHAKA – West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday delayed her return home for few hours at the request of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to join a state dinner in honour of Indian premier Narendra Modi.
“Yes, she (Banerjee) was supposed to leave here this afternoon after witnessing the flagging off ceremony of bus services on the new routes (between the two countries), but agreed to stay back for few more hours at the request of our premier,” a foreign office spokesman told BSS as the Sheikh Hasina-Modi summit was underway.
He said Sheikh Hasina requested her to join the dinner in honour of her Indian counterpart and “she responded” positively.
Being a major stakeholder as the West Bengal chief minister, Banerjee previously appeared on the way of signing the Teesta deal at the last minute during former Indian premier Manmohan Singh’s 2011 Dhaka tour.
But Indian external affairs secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at a briefing today said the Teesta issue came up for the discussion as the two premiers held a meeting with Banerjee before their formal summit.
Bangladesh foreign ministry officials said Banerjee left for home shortly after 9 pm after attending the state dinner in the evening.
During her previous Dhaka tour in February this year, Banerjee, however, assured Sheikh Hasina of playing a “positive role” in resolving the outstanding Teesta issue to protect interests of both sides.
She had reached here yesterday, a day ahead of Modi’s arrival.