BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said if his party comes to power with a people’s mandate, it will ensure India maintains a friendly relationship with Bangladesh.

“India helped during the 1971 Liberation War. It should support Bangladesh much more, but unfortunately the opposite has happened. The Modi government has pressured Bangladesh. They have taken everything and given us nothing,” he said while speaking to journalists after visiting the rubber dam built over the Mahananda River in Chapainawabganj on Saturday.

He later addressed a rally jointly organised by local BNP and an organisation named “Chapainawabganj Coordination Committee for the Demand of Fair Share of Padma River Wa-ter” at the Chapainawabganj Government College ground.              

“The only goal of today’s rally is to save the Padma, to save the country. The movement will continue until our just right to the waters of the Ganges-Padma is established. Dominance by India will no longer be tolerated in Bangladesh,” he said.

He added that fair water sharing and addressing border killings will receive heightened atten-tion, and the BNP will focus on curbing what he described as “India’s hegemony” over Bangla-desh.

Mirza Fakhrul said India often restricts the export of onions and rice. Moreover, during the monsoon season, India opens all the gates of the Farakka Barrage, causing floods and erosion across vast areas of Bangladesh almost every year.

He stressed that this must not be allowed to happen anymore. “India must maintain a friendly attitude toward Bangladesh,” he said.

Terming the Farakka Barrage a major problem for Bangladesh, Fakhrul said the unilateral di-version of Ganges water through the dam at Farakka has created a severe water crisis.

“Despite having a water-sharing treaty with India, the desired results have not been achieved,” he added.

Fakhrul emphasised that Bangladesh is an agriculture-based country, and water is a key com-ponent of agriculture.

“To save the country, we must protect agriculture, and we must protect our rivers. There is no alternative but to form strong unity for this purpose,” he said.

He further said, “If the people entrust the BNP with the responsibility of running the country in the future, all international rights will be safeguarded under the leadership of Tarique Rah-man.”

Without naming any political party, Fakhrul said the people will not allow any conspiracy to sabotage the election, as they are eagerly awaiting the polls.

“The people can no longer be deceived in the name of religion. They love religion but are not fanatical,” he added.

The rally was presided over by Harunur Rashid, adviser to the BNP Chairperson and the party’s nominated candidate for the Chapainawabganj-3 (Sadar) constituency in the upcoming election.