DHAKA: In a show of bonhomie, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who has not been sharing a pleasant relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today travelled with him in his limousine to the venue where the historic Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh was sealed.
Earlier, Modi, who is on a two-day visit here, had a nearly 20 minute-long meeting with Mamata at the Sonar Gaon Hotel following which they drove to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's office in the same car.
This assumes significance as Modi and Mamata flew to Bangladesh separately and are staying at different hotels. She reached Dhaka yesterday and is expected to return tonight.
Mamata and Modi have not been sharing pleasant relationship with both sides attacking each other over various issues.
The instrument of ratification was signed by the foreign secretaries of the two countries in the presence of Modi, Hasina and Mamata at the Bangla Premier's office.
After the implementation of LBA, India is expecting movement of people to the country and has made arrangements for the same, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said yesterday.
Last month, the Parliament had unanimously passed a historic bill to operationalise the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh which provides for exchange of 161 enclaves, and settles a 41-year-old border issue.
India has already announced that the long-pending Teesta water-sharing pact with Bangladesh will not be signed during the visit. However, issues relating to sharing of other river waters and waterways was expected to figure in the talks.
The Teesta deal was set to be inked during the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh in September 2011 but was postponed at the last minute due to objections by Banerjee, who had also dropped out of the Prime Ministerial delegation.