Had the interim agreement between Bangladesh and India on Tessta water sharing signed in September, 2011 for 15 years, as it was supposed to be, one third of the period would have already passed. But, let alone signing, this important agreement is still bracketed within the ‘the internal consultations’ between the Indian central government led by Narendra Modi and West Bengal government, headed by Mamata Banerjee.
And, none, at least in Dhaka, appears to know when this apparently eternal ‘internal consultations’ will end to make the signing of the deal happen that will ensure Bangladesh’s right, not privilege, to the water of the important river. “I simply don’t know when this agreement will be signed. We are simply fed up. Nowadays, we are embarrassed to even raise the issue with our Indian counterparts during our bilateral meetings,” a senior government official told The Independent. “How much can you press on a matter, which is our right? There is a limit to everything,” he added with a gesture of frustration. “Given the existing relationship between Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Banerjee, it will be a miracle if the agreement is signed during the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India possibly in early April,” said another senior official. Yet another senior official said, “Let’s be frank. Any conclusion in this regard appears to be unlikely at least in the near future. I fervently hope I am wrong.” “We apparently have nothing to do with this. The ball is now in India’s court. We will just have to wait and wait,” he said.
Breaking the news of Prime Minister Hasina’s proposed visit to India in December, a top government official told The Independent that there would be a major break through in this regard during the visit.
After some days, the same official said, “There are lots of other issues between the two countries apart from Teesta.”
The deal was set to be signed during former Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s Dhaka visit on September 6-7, 2011. But, the deal could not be inked due to a last minute objection raised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Since the visit about more than five years ago, both Bangladeshi and Indian political and bureaucratic leaderships have been expressing optimism of signing an agreement, but without any fruition.
Dhaka has been repeatedly raising the   issue in almost all discussions with New Delhi. India has been consistent in its response always saying that the deal would be signed after reaching a consensus with the West Bengal Chief Minister.
Looking back, a galore of assurances regarding the signing of the deal would be found after the visit of Dr Manmohan

Singh. On September 7, Dr Singh lamented the failure of signing an agreement in his speech at the Dhaka University saying that it was ‘unfortunate’.
During a meeting with Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the 17th SAARC Summit in early November, 2011 in the Maldives, the Indian Prime Minister reportedly assured of concluding the agreement as soon as possible
But, on November 12, 2011 he said there was still some distance to be covered before the Teesta water sharing agreement with Bangladesh could be signed.
Dr Sing’s successor, Narendra Modi, during his visit to Dhaka in 2015, gave assurance of concluding the agreement.
Even, Mamata Banerjee herself visited Bangladesh twice in 2015 and assured of playing ‘positive role’ in this regard.
Besides, many Indian influential individuals, including the President, Vice President, Ministers and envoys assured the Bangladeshis side.
Immediately after the conclusion of Dr Sing’s visit, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith said on September 7, 2011 that he hoped the Teesta agreement would be signed within next three months.
On the same day, the then Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen also expressed optimism of concluding the deal within three months. The Minister, on September 24, stated that the deal would be struck within 3-4 months.
On September 8, the then Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes told a press conference on September 8 that Prime Minister Sheikh had said the Teesta agreement would be signed within the next three months and her Indian counterpart had also assured of it.   
But on September 16, the Prime Minister said in a party programme that the treaty would be signed with India soon.
Besides, without mentioning any timeframe, former LGRD Minister and Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful
Islam, former Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, Prime Minister’s International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi and Economic Affairs Adviser Dr Mashiur Rahman said that the agreement would be signed ‘soon’. Since September, 2011, Dr Rizvi said in a number of occasions that the agreement would be signed soon. The Foreign Minister, on October 4, 2011 extended the timeframe saying that the Teesta water sharing agreement between Bangladesh and India would surely be signed during the tenure of the government.
The government hierarchies always maintained that the agreement would be signed based on the ‘principles’ and ‘text’ agreed upon by both countries and initialed by the Water Resources Secretaries of Bangladesh and India.
From then till now, Dhaka and New Delhi are consistently trying to keep people of Bangladesh optimistic by mentioning that the deal will be signed after the ‘internal consultations’.   
Unlike Bangladeshi leadership, Indians including the Prime Minister have not been found mentioning any timeframe for signing the agreement. They always maintained that the deal would be signed as soon as possible. There was, however, an exception. At a press conference in Dhaka on February 17, 2013, the then Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid expressed his sincere hope that the central government would be able to reach a consensus with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjeee within few weeks to conclude the Teesta agreement. No one yet knows when someone will say for sure that yes, the agreement will be signed on a certain date and there will be an end to paying the price by Bangladeshi people for Indian internal matters.