Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman has pledged to resolve the flooding in Feni through talks with India if the 11-party alliance comes to power.
He made the promise at an election rally in Feni on Friday, bdnews24.com.
"The embankments, the absence of which has caused your suffering, have not yet been built," said Shafiqur.
The Jamaat chief said he was aware of issues with neighbouring India over water sharing, but was confident of finding a peaceful solution to the problem through dialogue.
"We respect them, and we hope they will respect us as well," said Shafiqur.
Shafiqur spoke at the election rally at Feni Government Pilot High School ground.
In August 2024, severe flooding hit vast swathes of the country, including the districts of Feni, Cumilla and Noakhali, following heavy rainfall and an onrush of water from upstream.
The flood affected vast areas, prompting speculations that such a natural disaster had not been seen before.
Shafiqur said parts of an embankment collapsed on Aug 12, shortly after the July Uprising, due to a surge of water from across the border, inundating the entirety of Feni district.
In 2019, Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding with India to allow the withdrawal of 1.82 cusecs of water from the Feni River to address drinking water shortages in the Sabroom area of India's Tripura state.
Following criticism of that agreement and other deals between Bangladesh and India in a Facebook post, BUET student Abrar Fahad was brutally killed by leaders and activists of the Chhatra League on the night of Oct 6, 2019.
Shafiqur said, "Today, I remember Abrar Fahad, a brilliant student of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. He spoke a few words about the Feni River-and for that, he had to give his life."
Urging people for a "Yes" vote in the referendum, he said: "In this Bangladesh, the king's son becomes king, the minister's son becomes minister-that's the culture we want to change.
"Being born in a king's house won't make you a king, and being born in a minister's house won't make you a minister; only if you have the ability will you be elected to such positions."
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