Bangladesh will work with friendly India as before: Hasina

However, she said, Bangladesh was now thinking about “alternative steps” for enhanced augmentation of flows in common rivers through initiatives like dredging.

The Bangladesh premier claimed her government took initiatives to solve land boundary problems with India and “Bangladesh has already ratified the Land Boundary Agreement, while India has placed the deal before its parliament. And I have firm belief that we could solve the problems”.

“India is a large country and Bangladesh may be a small one, but we are independent and sovereign. All will have to keep this in mind,” she said.

Hasina had earlier congratulated Modi on the resounding victory of his BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Lok Sabha elections.

“I am delighted to see a great friend of Bangladesh leading an extremely friendly country, India, in the coming days,” she said in a message sent to Modi while she later spoke to him on the phone.

At the time Hasina also told Modi “I hope that you would find my country your second home and first destination for your official visit abroad” while she praised his “dynamic, inspiring and visionary leadership qualities”.