Bangladesh's 'battling begums': India-Bangladesh ties under PM Sheikh Hasina, ex-PM Khaleda Zia

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has always had cordial relations with India. Under her regime, ties between the two countries flourished well and the engagement between the two countries improved on all fronts.Bangladesh's first female prime minister Khaleda Zia, on the other hand, had rocky ties with India.

With 2018 Bangladesh polls just around the corner, here's taking a look at Bangladesh-India ties under the 'battling begums.'

Bangladesh PM Hasina

The 2008 elections in Bangladesh marked a new chapter in the country's relationship with India.

The polls ushered in a new phase for the democracy of the country. The polls were held after two years of an army-backed caretaker government ruled the nation. Hasina-led Awami League returned to power with a thumping majority.

Since Hasina's coming to power, India and Bangladesh entered into engagements on every front. Several bus and train routes, connecting the two countries, have been operationalised.

After Sheikh Hasina's visit to India last year, there has been a renewed focus on improving connectivity between the two countries.

After her meeting with PM Modi in India, Hasina said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I had a productive meeting, we sat together to take our excellent bilateral relations to a new height. Prime minister Modi and I agreed that greater connectivity is vital for the development of the region".

In recent years, India and Bangladesh have made major headway to solve their boundary disputes.

In the past few years, the two countries ended an issue in North Bengal. A decades-old maritime boundary dispute was also settled in 2014.

Significant headway has also been made to settle differences over the sharing of waters of the Teesta river.

India has reciprocated to this in equal measure. Around a dozen agreements have been signed with Dhaka. India has committed 10 billion dollars of private investment. New Delhi has approved a 7.5 billion dollars for infrastructure and other projects in Bangladesh. Both sides continue to explore other areas of cooperation.

Beyond these projects, India and Bangladesh have established deep security cooperation. Intelligence agencies of both countries have developed a close working relationship. Since taking over the prime minister's office, Sheikh Hasina has led efforts to crush ISI's covert activities in Bangladesh.

"We want to build cooperation in new areas, especially some high-technology areas that have a deeper connect with the youth in both our societies.

These would include working in the fields of electronics, information technology, cybersecurity, space exploration, civil nuclear energy, and other areas," PM Modi said.

And Hasina being at the helm of affairs has certainly provided a stable neighbour for India.

Bangladesh-India ties under Khaleda Zia

Hasina and Zia have dominated the political landscape of Dhaka for the past 30 years. But former PM Khalida Zia's stature has significantly diminished. She's in jail for corruption. Her Bangladesh Nationalist Party is counting on allies to mount a challenge to the prime minister. And yet, Zia cannot be written off.

Khaleda Zia was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh. In her early political life, she was dismissed as the politically inexperienced housewife of a military dictator. But, after her husband's assassination, Zia served as the prime minister of the country.

During her tenure as the prime minister of the country, Zia had a rocky relationship with New Delhi.There was an immense trust deficit between both sides.

Zia's party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is seen as anti-India.Her government was also criticised for supporting and harbouring anti-India elements.

But, in 2012, Zia did attempt some overtures. During a visit to New Delhi, she met with the then President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. These high-level meetings were followed by talks with political leaders from both sides of the political spectrum.

After losing power, Zia has faced major roadblocks in her attempts to mount a comeback.

The leader of the opposition in Bangladesh is serving a 10-year jail term for corruption.

Zia blames the ruling Sheikh Hasina government. Before going to jail, she claimed that opposition is being targeted.

"We were locked in our office for months after months. During that time, I was accused for different incidents that took place outside my office. The jails are all filled with the supporters of my party."