Bangladeshi PM Tariq Rahman’s big bet before China tour, Teesta Barrage project approved

Neighboring country Bangladesh has taken such a big step in the name of solving its water crisis and giving new life to the agricultural sector, which has created a stir in the geopolitics of South Asia. Bangladesh Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman Tariq Rahman has made it clear that his government is going to start the ground work very soon on the country’s two biggest and most awaited water projects – Padma Barrage and Teesta Barrage Project. This very important announcement has come at such a strategic juncture when Prime Minister Rahman is going to go on an official visit to China soon. His decision to take forward the Teesta project just before his visit clearly indicates that China is now going to play a huge economic and technical role worth billions of dollars in this entire mega project. Noise from Ghazipur rally: PM Rehman said – BNP itself prepared the land on Teesta. Addressing a huge public meeting after laying the foundation stone of the new building of ‘National Disaster Management Research and Training Institute’ in Ghazipur near Dhaka on Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Tariq Rehman gave full credit for this project to his party. he insisted, "I want to make it absolutely clear to the people of the country that it is the BNP government that will start the construction work of both Padma Barrage and Teesta Barrage. In the past, BNP has run many big movements and programs at the grassroots level on the Teesta water issue. Therefore, if anyone has really worked honestly in this direction and prepared the ground, it is BNP."

According to administrative sources, the Bangladesh government had already approved the construction of a barrage on the Padma river in Rajshahi to improve the irrigation system of the northern and southern regions of the country, and now the Prime Minister has also given the official green signal to the Teesta Barrage. Visit to China at the end of June: Approval may be given on a mega project worth 1 billion dollars. It is believed that a well-thought-out diplomacy is behind this surprise announcement regarding Teesta Barrage. Prime Minister Tariq Rehman is scheduled to visit Beijing at the end of June. There is a strong expectation in diplomatic circles that during his visit to China, there will be final round of talks with China regarding funding and loan agreements for Teesta Barrage and many other important infrastructure projects. According to latest reports, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing this month (May 2026) and formally sought financial help for this mega project worth about $ 1 billion, which can now be finalized during the PM’s visit. Targeted at Farakka Barrage: Claim of increasing salinity in Sundarban Lamenting the deepening water crisis in the country, Bangladeshi PM directly pointed towards the dams being built across the borders (on the Indian side) and diverting the natural flow of rivers. He claimed that Bangladesh does not get its fair share and adequate water from international rivers during the dry season. Referring specifically to India’s Farakka Barrage, Rahman alleged that due to this, the salinity of the sea is rapidly entering the southern part of Bangladesh. Its most devastating impact is on the environment of many coastal areas including the world’s largest mangrove forest ‘Sunderban’. Expressing concern he said, "Due to increasing salinity in soil and water, many rare trees and plants of Sundarban are being destroyed and precious animals are on the verge of extinction. We will have to build these barrages here at all costs so that by storing the extra water received during the monsoon, we can make it available to our farmers and common people on time during the dry season."

India-Bangladesh Water Dispute: History and the Staked Teesta Agreement India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers, and there has been a long-standing diplomatic disagreement over sharing of their waters. However, in the year 1996, a historic ‘Ganga Water Sharing Treaty’ was signed between the two countries, whose 30 year period is ending this year in December 2026. According to officials, talks are currently going on between the High Commissions and Water Resources Ministries of both the countries to further renew this very important agreement. On the other hand, the issue of sharing water of Teesta river is stuck for the last one and a half decade. Both the countries had agreed on the draft of this agreement at the central government level, but due to India’s internal politics and the tough stance of the West Bengal government, it has not been signed yet. Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had strongly opposed the agreement, arguing that the water level in Teesta was already low and giving more water to Bangladesh would create a serious crisis of farming and drinking water in the districts of North Bengal. China’s entry and Rehman’s announcement: Why did ‘red flag’ raise for India? The preparation of the new government of Bangladesh to directly involve China in the construction of the Teesta Barrage Project has raised deep concerns in the strategic and military circles of New Delhi. For India, this is not just a river water management or irrigation project, but a very sensitive and serious matter related to the country’s national security, sovereignty and diplomatic influence. Its direct impact on India’s security and diplomacy can be easily understood in these three main points: 1. Direct threat to the security of ‘Chicken Neck’ (Siliguri Corridor) India’s biggest and non-compromising concern is about the country’s military security. The part of Teesta River that falls in Bangladesh is located just a few kilometers away from India’s most strategically sensitive ‘Siliguri Corridor’, which is called ‘Chicken Neck’. It is a narrow land route only 20 kilometers wide, which geographically connects the entire North-East India (North-East States) with the rest of India. Under the pretext of this project, in the name of river management, dredging and heavy engineering, the permanent presence of engineers and technical experts associated with Chinese government companies (such as Power Construction Corporation of China) and the Chinese Army (PLA) in this area will become a huge ‘red flag’ and permanent headache for India’s national security. 2. Big blow to India on the diplomatic front: This step of Bangladesh is being considered a big blow to India’s regional water diplomacy. During the tenure of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, India, sensing this Chinese threat, itself offered technical and economic help in the Teesta project so that China could be kept away from its borders. But now after the coup in Bangladesh and the new BNP government coming to power, Dhaka is openly leaning towards Beijing instead of New Delhi. This also sends a global message that if India is not able to make timely bilateral agreements with its neighbors due to its internal and regional politics, then the neighboring countries are ready to shed hesitation and fall into the strategic trap of India’s arch rival (China). 3. Extension of China’s ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI) to India’s border: Since the recent change of power in Bangladesh, China was trying to re-establish its lost economic and political influence there. China has already made it clear that it wants to pursue the Teesta River Project as a flagship project under its most ambitious and strategic ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI). If China fully funds this project, then Beijing’s hold on the entire infrastructure and logistics ecosystem of Bangladesh will become stronger. This situation will pose a direct and open challenge to the regional influence and security mechanisms established under India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy.