Alleging that India has established its full control over Bangladesh due to the current government’s subservient policy, BNP on Sunday vowed to face the ‘water aggression’ by the neighbouring country together with people.
“Our government has given away India our all weapons for realising the due share of water from the 54 common rivers out of its too much love for India. Now India has established its full influence on Bangladesh,” said BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Addressing a roundtable, he also lamented that the present government is least bothered about realising the due share of water from the neighbourng country as it is busy appeasing them only to cling to power with its support.
“People are our main sources of power. So, we need to make people encouraged and united to face the aggression of India. It’ll be possible to do only when a pro-people government will be established in the country,” he added.
The BNP spokesman said they will now carry out two movements — one at home for forcing the current regime to hold an election under a non-party neutral administration for establishing a pro-people government and another at the international level for realising the fair share of water from all the common rivers.
BNP arranged the roundtable, titled ‘Teesta River Water Sharing: Context Bangladesh’, at a city hotel.
Prof Dr Sabir Mostafa Khan, head of Water Resources Engineering Department, Buet presented the key note paper at the discussion.
Addressing the programme, Fakhrul said boro production by about three crore of farmers in the country’s northern region are now at stake due to irrigation crisis as the flow of Teesta water fell sharply as it came down to 400 cusecs.
He alleged that India by setting up dams on the common rivers, including Teesta, has endangered the diversity of Bangladesh and the lives and livelihoods of its people.
About their long march towards the Teesta Barrage in Nilphamari on April 22-23, Fakhrul said they have taken the programme considering the interests and welfare of the country’s people not to go to power. “But we can’t understand why it has made the ruling party unnerved. Even ministers are making unguarded remarks over the issue.”
Prof Asif Nazrul of Dhaka University Law department said Bangladesh is not getting the fair share of water from the common rivers, including Teesta, as the government is giving India everything without raising its voice for protecting the interests of the country.
He, however, said an opportunity will be created for having the due share of the water of the common rivers in light of the international law when a true pro-people government will come to power.
BNP vice chairman and former water resources minister Hafizuddin Ahmed said Indian political party BJP has announced that they will implement, if voted to power, the much-talked about inter-river linking project which a matter of great concern for Bangladesh.
Hafiz said if the project is implemented the major share of the water of the Brahmaputra River will go to India, casting a serious negative impact on Bangladesh.
BNP chairperson’s adviser Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, joint secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, water expert SI Khan and journalist Mahfuzullah, among others, spoke at the programme.
Source: UNBConnect
