India: Border Disputes, Local Politics and Relations with Bangladesh

The decision by the Trinamool Congress in India's West Bengal state to block a parliamentary discussion on settling India's long-standing border dispute with Bangladesh is again bringing the country's local-versus-national political competition to the fore. Weeks after the ruling United Progressive Alliance decision to support Telanganan statehood, West Bengal's chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, has again clashed with the central government, refusing to cede any of West Bengal's territory to rival Bangladesh even as the Darjeeling Hills region of her constituency renews its calls for statehood. Rather than taking its place within the often-contentious space of Indian political theater, the Aug. 19 move to table the still unratified border treaty with Bangladesh could have larger ramifications for India's foreign policy and position in the region.