Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday urged India to demonstrate goodwill towards the people of Bangladesh by ensuring a fair share of Teesta water, halting border killings and refraining from its ‘big brother’ attitude.
The friendship will be based on mutual respect and interest, he said while addressing as chief guest the inauguration of a 48-hour sit-in programme under the banner of ‘Teesta River protection movement committee’ at Teesta railway bridge point in Lalmonirhat.
‘India does not give our proper share of water in the trans-boundary rivers. Moreover, they are hosting fascist Sheikh Hasina,’ Fakhrul said.
Terming the Teesta River protection movement as a life and death struggle, he urged the interim government to demand the country’s proper share of water from India.
The BNP had always been vocal about Bangladesh’s fair share of water from the trans-boundary rivers, said the party leader, adding that people thought India would give a fair share of river water when its old ally Awami League came to power, but they miserably failed because they had sold the country to India.
He further said that India had erected embankments controlling the water flow of 54 trans-boundary rivers, producing electricity and irrigating their farmland, while severely affecting the lives of people, agriculture and biodiversity in the northern region of Bangladesh.
The party secretary general also addressed the issue of national election at his speech, stating that people were waiting
for exercising their voting rights.
‘We want to elect our leaders through vote. An unstable situation is prevailing now. Peace and law and order will be restored once the elected government comes,’ Fakhrul said.
He urged the interim government to arrange the national polls shortly after necessary reforms.
Demanding the implementation of the Teesta water sharing treaty and mega plan, a 48-hour sit-in programme under the banner of ‘Teesta river protection movement committee’ began on Monday morning simultaneously at 11 points along the Teesta riverbank in five districts—Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Rangpur, Nilphamari, and Gaibandha.
Led by BNP central organising secretary and Lalmonirhat district unit BNP president Principal Asadul Habib Dulu, also the chief coordinator of the programme, the sit-in began at 11:00am across a 230-kilometre stretch along the Teesta.
Chanting ‘Jago Bahe Teesta bachai’ (Wake up! Save the Teesta), thousands of people gathered on the riverbank. Several stages and tents were also set up at the programme venue.
Leaders and activists of various political parties along with the common people joined the sit-in.
Asadul Habib Dulu said that the sit-in was called not by any political parties, organisations or individuals, rather it was a movement of all the deprived people living in the Teesta basin. Thousands of people have gathered voluntarily on both sides of the riverbank in five districts of Rangpur division, he said.
BNP central leaders joined at different points of the sit-in in the five districts.  Â
Acting BNP chairman Tarique Rahman is expected to address the concluding session virtually tomorrow.