Photo: Messenger
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), one of the country's major political parties, has expressed deep concern over the signing of 10 agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) during Sheikh Hasina's recent visit to India. These include two new agreements, five new MoUs, and the renewal of three agreements.
Claiming that the Awami League is making Bangladesh dependent on India, the BNP said that the agreements with India are against the country's interests. If the BNP comes to power, they will cancel all agreements signed with India.
The BNP’s policy-making forum, the Standing Committee, and top leaders argue that Article 145 of Bangladesh's Constitution requires any treaty with a foreign state to be presented to Parliament, but the Awami League has never done this. They consider the agreement allowing foreign trains to run through Bangladesh without public consent as a conspiracy against sovereignty. The people of Bangladesh will never accept handing over the country's resources to India.
The BNP say that agreements have been made with India at the expense of Bangladesh's interests. They claim that none of the agreements between India and Bangladesh since independence have been implemented by India. There are concerns that the satellite agreement with India will compromise public security. The government needs to clarify what benefits or interests the people of Bangladesh gain from giving India transit and train travel facilities. India has never followed international law regarding river water flow; the fair share of river water is the right of the people of Bangladesh. The party also states that if deprived of this right, 18 crore people of Bangladesh will be aggrieved against India.
In a written statement, the BNP Standing Committee states that Bangladesh's interests have been greatly harmed by not making any agreement on water sharing of common rivers, including the Teesta, not stopping the killing of Bangladeshi citizens by BSF at the border, and unilaterally providing all facilities to India. They claim that Bangladesh's interests have been compromised in agreements related to rail connectivity from one end of India to another within Bangladesh, postal and telecommunications cooperation, military education cooperation in strategic and operational sectors, pharmaceutical agreements, India's free movement in Bangladesh's waters, and memorandums between India's IN-SPACe and Bangladesh's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, between railway ministries, and on marine research cooperation. They say that Sheikh Hasina has completely failed to secure any benefits for Bangladesh in exchange for providing all kinds of facilities to India, and this is a manifestation of the subservient foreign policy of an illegal government without a mandate. In the meeting, the BNP rejected these agreements as they are against Bangladesh's interests.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “The Prime Minister's visit to India was not successful. This illegal government is deliberately making Bangladesh dependent on India. Our problems, like not getting a fair share of water from the Teesta River, were not addressed. Instead, a proposal for the Teesta project has been made, with India proposing to participate and invest in this project.”
He further added, “Our question is very clear. We want a fair distribution of Teesta's water first, and we want a fair share of each of the common rivers. This is our right under international law. The government is completely failing to address these issues.”
Criticizing the government harshly, the BNP Secretary General said, “Today, they (the government) have become servants to India. Not just India, they are following a subservient foreign policy, bowing down completely to neighbouring countries. Bullets come from Myanmar, and they can't even respond. A subservient ruling group is sitting on top of us.”
BNP Vice Chairman Asaduzzaman Ripon told The Daily Messenger, “This visit did not protect any of Bangladesh's interests. Rather, through the Prime Minister's visit to India, Bangladesh has taken another step towards ultimate disaster. They didn't even follow Article 145 of the Constitution. The Ganges Treaty has been renewed again, but what benefit do we get from this? Have we ever received water? All the agreements that have been signed have gone against the country. This is the price of the Prime Minister's illegal stay in power. To remain in power, Sheikh Hasina will have to make concessions against the country's interests in favour of India's interests. The people of this country will never accept that a railway line will run through the heart of Bangladesh, yet we will have no share in it. If the BNP comes to power, all anti-national agreements made during the Awami League government's tenure will be cancelled. The BNP is aware of what anti-national agreements exist so far. All anti-national agreements of the Awami government involving the people of this country will definitely be cancelled, sooner or later. Sheikh Hasina, by illegally staying in power, is handing over Bangladesh's resources to India.”
BNP Vice Chairman Nitai Roy Chowdhury told the Daily Messenger, “The Prime Minister's visit to India was not fruitful. Most people in the country have raised questions and expressed anger about this. The Prime Minister's India visit was against the country's interests. During her visit, she prioritized India's interests. She did not look after Bangladesh's interests at all. In a word, Sheikh Hasina herself came to power illegally. Therefore, it cannot be expected that any national interest will be protected. The few memorandums of understanding that have been signed and renewed are completely against the interests of our Bangladesh."
Messenger/Disha
