BNP to prioritise water-sharing, end ‘Indian hegemony’: Fakhrul

Bangla Press Desk:  BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said his party will give top priority to resolving longstanding water-sharing disputes and stopping what he described as “Indian hegemony” with Bangladesh.

Talking to reporters after inspecting a rubber dam built on the Mahananda River in Chapainawabganj, Fakhrul said issues related to the Teesta and Farakka, fair water shares, and border killings will be among top priorities if their party is elected to power.

Ensuring Bangladesh’s fair share of water and stopping border killings are priorities of BNP’s politics, he said.

Fakhrul said India, as a neighbouring country, has every opportunity to maintain good relations with Bangladesh.

“During the Liberation War in 1971, India stood by us. They should extend even greater cooperation now. But unfortunately, we have witnessed the opposite. The Modi government has put pressure on Bangladesh, taken everything, and given us nothing. That was the failure of the Awami League government,” he added.

“The relations must be on the basis of equal footing. Our national interests must come first,” Fakhrul added.

The BNP secretary general arrived in Chapainawabganj to join a mass rally organised as part of the “Save the Padma, Save the Country; Bangladesh First” campaign.

BP/SP