UNB, Gaibandha :Accusing the current government of maintaining a knee-jerk foreign policy, particularly with India, BNP on Tuesday said this is not possible for this weak regime to realise Bangladesh’s due share of Teesta water.”This government has given away India a weapon like transit for bargaining with it to protect the national interests. So, it’s not possible by them either to sign the Teesta water deal or realise the due share of water of the river,” said BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.Addressing their sixth and final wayside rally of their first day of a two-day long-march programme in Gaibandha’s Polashbari, the BNP leader also said a pro-people government must be installed through participatory polls under a non-party administration to realise the country’s fair share of water of the Teesta and other common rivers. Fakhrul said India has already set up 14 dams at the upper-stream of the Teesta River, significantly decreasing its water flow to Bangladesh. “They (India) are illegally and unilaterally withdrawing the river water depriving us.”Earlier, the party, led by Fakhrul, launched its long march towards Teesta Barrage from Azampur in the city’s Uttara area in the morning in its bid press India to allow Bangladesh to enjoy the due share of all the common rivers, including Teesta.Though the long march was scheduled to begin from Airport intersection, it finally began from in front of Amir Complex, Uttara around 9am. Before launching the long march, senior BNP leaders, including Fakhrul, addressed a rally there.Fakhrul said their long-march programme is not against India or Bangladesh government as it is meant for realising the country’s due share of water of the common river, Teesta.He urged the government to take immediate steps to make India agree to sign a deal on Teesta water sharing, and called upon the country’s people to get united and raise their voice for forcing India to give Bangladesh its due share of Teesta water and sign the deal in this regard. Before Polashbari, the first wayside rally was held in Gazipur’s Kaliakair while the second on Tangail bypass road, the third at Sirajganj’s Kaddar intersection, the fourth at Bogra’s Matidhali crossing, the fifth at Gaibanda’s Gobindaganj.Though the party had earlier claimed that it took all-out preparations to make their long march a success with the huge participation of people from all walks of life, the party got a low response even from its leaders and activists.The party leaders, however, cited the heat wave and BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s absence in it as the main the reasons for thin participation of the party men in the programme.The long march caravan reached Gazipur’s Kaliakoir from Uttara around 10pm, where Fakhrul and senior leaders addressed the first wayside rally. “We’ve the right to get the due share of Teesta water but our government has failed to realise it from India despite repeated calls from different sections of Bangladesh society. We must establish this right,” Fakhrul told the rally.About BNP’s objective to stage the long march, Fakhrul said BNP wants to get people united for the programme and force India to give Bangladesh its due share of water of all the common rivers.Meanwhile, Tangail BNP president and BNP chairperson’s adviser advocate Ahmad Azam Khan along with local leaders and activists of the party and its associate bodies welcomed the long-march convoy as it reached Bypass Road in the town around 11:20am.Addressing the second street rally in Tangail, Fakhrul said they are staging the long march to make the country’s people aware to raise their voice for realising their rights to water of the 54 common rivers as well as mobilize public opinion globally in favour of it.Having failed to deliver and protect the rights of the country’s people, the government has resorted to repressive acts to cling to power, the BNP leader alleged. He asked his party men to get ready for an oust-government movement and force it hold a free, fair national polls immediately.Later, the long-march caravan restarted its journey and reached Sirajganj Koddar intersection around 12noon.The long march arrived at Matidali intersection in Bogra around 4pm where the fourth wayside rally was held. The fifth rally was held at Gaibanda’s Gobindaganj where Fakhrul claimed that their programme has initially been successful as India augmented the Teesta water in the face of the long march. “Anyway, we want a complete success.”After the final roadside rally at Gaibandha’s Polashbari, the long march reached Rangpur city around 7:20pm.After the overnight stay in Rangpur, the party will hold a rally in front of Rangpur Public Library in the city at 9am on Wednesday and then restart their long march towards Teesta Barrage in Nilphamari.The long march will end after holding another public rally at Dalia.BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan, vice chairmen Abdullah Al Noman, Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf, Hafizuddin Ahmed, Selima Rahman, chairperson’s advisers Dr Osman Farroque, Abdul Mannan, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Ahmed Azam Khan, International Affairs secretary Asaduzaman Ripon, Education Affairs Secretary Khairul Kabir Khokon, Students Affairs secretary Shaheed Uddin Chowdhury Anne and Jubo Dal president Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, among others, joined the long march.
