BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said his party will prioritise resolving longstanding water-sharing disputes and putting an end to what he termed 'Indian hegemony' in Bangladesh, reports UNB.
Talking to reporters after inspecting a rubber dam built on the Mahananda River in Chapainawabganj on Saturday, Fakhrul said issues related to the Teesta and Farakka, fair water shares, and border killings will be among top priorities if his party is elected to power.
He asserted that ensuring Bangladesh's fair share of water and putting and to border killings are priorities of BNP's politics,.
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 seen the opposite. The Modi government has exerted 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.
Meanwhile, in Rajshahi, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir urged has party leaders and activists to stay alert, saying a 'particular group is trying to create divisions within BNP' for its own political gain.
Speaking at a gathering after offering prayers at the grave of late BNP leader and former minister Barrister Aminul Haque in Godagari municipality of Rajshahi, he said party members must avoid internal conflicts at this critical time in Bangladesh politics.
"Another group is also trying to come to power. But our past experience shows they cannot bring any meaning change or restore discipline in the country," he pointed out.
He introduced Major General (retd) Sharif Uddin as BNP's primary nominee for Rajshahi-1 (Godagari-Tanore) constituency and urged all party activists to work for him.
Fakhrul said late Barrister Aminul Haque worked for the people of this area as an MP and minister and that his family had long contributed to local development.
He was accompanied by Sharif Uddin, BNP Chairperson's adviser Mizanur Rahman Minu, former Rajshahi City Corporation mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul and BNP Research and Monitoring Cell chief Rehan Asad Ratul and others.
Besides, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said voters will not have the option to say 'No' if they disagree with any of the four questions in the proposed national referendum.
Rizvi made the remarks while talking to journalists after providing financial assistance to ailing radio artiste Afroza Nezami on behalf of BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman in the capital's Shyamoli area on Saturday.
