Fakhrul flays PM for failure to ink Teesta deal

Expressing frustration over the outcomes of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's just concluded visit to India, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today (23 June) alleged that "she has closely aligned herself with India's interests". 
 
Speaking at a doa and milad mahfil, he denounced the current government as illegal and a usurper, accusing it of "betraying the nation by allegedly selling off its assets". 
 
"The so-called prime minister, who was not elected, signed 10 deals with India. We observed that these were mostly memorandums of understanding (MoUs)," the BNP leader said. 
 
He also said it was told that India would sign more agreements and send technical teams to India. 
"But no deal was signed to resolve our problems...we're not getting the fair share of water from the Teesta River, but no agreement was signed on it," Fakhrul observed. 
 
Instead of inking the Teesta deal, he said India proposed participating in Bangladesh's Teesta River conservation and management project with investment and sending a technical team soon here. 
 
"Our question is crystal clear as we demand fair distribution of Teesta river water as a priority. We also seek a just share of water from every common river with India. This is our right, recognised internationally," the BNP leader said. 
 
He bemoaned that the Awami League government has utterly failed to address the water problem with India. "They [govt] have become subservient to India." 
 
Apart from India, Fakhrul alleged that the government is pursuing a subservient foreign policy toward all other neighbouring countries. 
 
"Bullets are coming from Myanmar, yet they cannot even respond to that... This worthless submissive regime is lying heavy on our chest," he said. 
 
As part of the party's nationwide programme, BNP organised the doa and milad mahfil at its Nayapaltan central office, praying for the speedy recovery of its chairperson, Khaleda Zia, who is currently receiving treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital. 
 
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned home on Saturday after wrapping up her two-day state visit to India. 
 
She went to New Delhi on Friday at the invitation of her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. 
 
On the second day of the visit, Dhaka and New Delhi signed 10 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), seven of these new and three renewed to further consolidate the ever-growing relationship between the two neighbouring countries.