Staff Reporter :BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Sunday that his party’s two-day long march towards Teesta beginning on April 22 was not to go to power but for promoting people’s welfare. Mirza Alamgir said this speaking at a round table discussion on ” Sharing of Teesta water: Bangladesh contest,” at a city hotel. Mirza Alamgir said the ruling party is unconcerned over sharing of the Teesta water as it was in power not with people’s support but with support of India. It is busy to keep them happy with whose support they are in power, he said. He said, ” We have to realize the rightful share of Teesta water together with the people. The purpose of the long march, he said, is also to create awareness among the people of the environmental disaster following India’s unilateral withdrawal of water of the common rivers. He said BNP wants rightful share of all the 54 common rivers with India. It is not a question of share of power or going to power but life and death issue of the country’s 16 crore people, he said. BNP considers that the ruling party attaches importance to India’s interest, Mirza Alamgir said adding that is why it was not concerned about the damage caused to Bangladesh following unprecedented fall in water of the Teesta. BNP Standing committee members MK Anwar, Dr. RA Ghani, former pro- Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Yusuf Haider, Professor Asif Nazrul and journalist Mahfuzullah among others, who spoke at the function. Meanwhile, BNP joint secretary general Rizvi Ahmed said if any quarter obstructs the peaceful long march programme, would be exposed as people’s enemy. People would hold their trial, he said.Rizvi made these observations at a separate programme at the party central office. The country, he said, was not liberated to become subservient to any country. The long march programme has been thrown also to unite the nation, he said.He said India has been constructing dams and barrages on the common rivers ignoring the interests of Bangladesh. The entire northern region of the country is gradually facing desertification following unilateral withdrawal of water of the Teesta by India, he said. The districts through which the long march would pass , people of those places would also join the programme, he said. Earlier, Rizvi together with some party leaders including Nazimuddin Alam and Shirin Sultana he distributed leaflets among the people about the long march programme at different city points including Elephant Road area.
