Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said the then Awami League government is responsible for depriving the people of their fair share of water from India.
In a statement issued on Friday ahead of “Farakka Day” on Saturday, he said the Farakka Barrage, initially launched by the Indian government as a trial project, has now turned into a “death trap”.
Fakhrul said Farakka Day is a historic and significant day for the national movement.
Referring to 16 May 1976, he said the historic Long March led by Maulana Bhashani from Rajshahi towards Farakka was a courageous step in the struggle for rightful water share.
He said, “49 years ago, under the call of mass leader Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, millions of people joined the historic Long March towards Farakka to demand Bangladesh’s rightful share of Ganges water in line with international law.”
He said India constructed the Farakka Barrage on the Ganges and began unilateral withdrawal of water from the shared river.
As a result, he claimed, the north-western region of Bangladesh has turned almost into a desert.
Mirza Fakhrul said the then Awami League government ignored public opinion and allowed India to operate the Farakka Barrage on a trial basis for a few days. He said the barrage has remained in operation since then and has now become a “death trap”.
He also alleged that due to the then Awami League government, the people of Bangladesh have been deprived of their rightful share of water from India.
He said the Farakka issue has remained widely discussed internationally due to large-scale human suffering.
He added that Farakka Day remains highly relevant as the construction of multiple dams on 54 shared rivers flowing from India into Bangladesh, without regard for international laws and conventions, has obstructed natural river flow and led to unilateral water withdrawal.
He warned that this has become dangerous for Bangladesh’s existence, with signs of the country turning into barren land already visible.
He said Farakka Day continues to inspire people in their struggle for rights.
Mirza Fakhrul also wished success for all programmes organised by various groups on the occasion of Farakka Day.
