We will take into account all related developments in the overall approach to the Teesta: MEA issue

MEA East Secretary Rudrendra Tandon (L) and MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal (R) during a media briefing in New Delhi on July 3, 2026. | Photo credit: ANI

Days after Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited China where the two sides discussed the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP), India said on Friday (July 3, 2026) that its development assistance to projects in Bangladesh operates on a “mutually agreed roadmap” and that India will consider “all related projects related to total river access” while formulating access to the river.

The issue came up during a press conference by the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Randhir Jaiswal, who was asked whether the decision of Bangladesh and China to have a report on the feasibility of the TRCMRP will affect Indian projects in Bangladesh.

“India’s development assistance for projects in Bangladesh is based on a mutually agreed road map which is regularly revised. Our views on the Teesta river project have been communicated to the Bangladeshi side earlier. We will take into account any related changes in our overall approach to the Teesta issue,” Mr Jaiswal said.

Officials later clarified that India’s statement did not indicate any displeasure with Bangladesh’s decision to continue discussing the Teesta project with China, as India-Bangladesh relations stand on their own merits. Water sharing in the Teesta River has been debated between India and Bangladesh for decades, but since 2011 the two neighbors have remained at an impasse with talks on an agreement.

Bangladesh began negotiations with China to build a restoration and management project along the river during Sheikh Hasina’s premiership. In 2024, India shared its plans for the river with Ms. Hasina when then foreign minister Vinay Kwatra visited Dhaka. In June that year, Mrs. Hasina visited India when a joint statement mentioned that India would provide assistance in the “protection and management” of the Teesta River in Bangladesh. Ms. Hasin’s government was ousted in a public uprising in August 2024, and there were no subsequent discussions during the 15-month interim government.

While the Teesta issue gained attention during Tarique Rahman’s visit to China in the last week of June, there are big ticket issues in India-Bangladesh ties that need attention. Diplomats here pointed out that the renewal of the Ganga water treaty is one such matter that needs urgent attention as the agreement has to be renewed by December 31 this year.

Published – 03 Jul 2026 23:04 IST