Janata Dal (United) national working president Sanjay Jha, who was Bihar’s Minister for Water Resources between 2021 and 2024, has advocated against the renewal of the 1996 India-Bangladesh Ganga Water Treaty, saying it would hurt the interests of Bihar.

The remarks came against the backdrop of the current political tensions between India and Bangladesh, with the two sides yet to hold the last round of talks on the renewal of the treaty that will expire on December 31, 2026.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Jha said, “If you look at the data in the last 30 years of the treaty being in place, you can clearly see that the interests of Bihar have been negatively impacted.”

“If you have diplomatic issues to sort out between the two countries, my only point is that Bihar’s interests, too, must be kept in mind,” he said, adding that the treaty may have checked a few boxes with regard to messaging in the international sphere, but had hurt the State’s interests.

The Ministry of External Affairs is yet to respond to The Hindu’s queries regarding Mr. Jha’s remarks.

Signed under Sheikh Hasina

The Ganga Water Treaty was signed on December 12, 1996, when the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, came to power in Bangladesh for the first time since the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975. Ms. Hasina has been in India since August 5, 2024, after a popular uprising toppled her government.

Dhaka had said earlier this month that the two sides were in talks for “several weeks” regarding a potential visit to India by Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, but that the atmosphere had been “vitiated” by the August 5 virtual press conference that Ms. Hasina held at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club here. One of the big-ticket items that would have featured in a possible bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart would have been the renewal of the Ganga Water Treaty.

The Hindu had earlier reported that the interim government of Bangladesh, led by Prof. Mohammad Yunus, which was in power between August 2024 and February 2026, had not held discussions on this issue during its tenure. Subsequently, after Mr. Rahman was elected with a landslide majority, Bangladesh sent a team of officials to India in May to participate in the Joint Rivers Commission meeting in Kolkata. The team of officials had visited Farakka and conducted a technical evaluation.

Published - August 20, 2026 10:19 pm IST