BNP senior leaders on Monday alleged that the current government will not be able to ensure the due share of water from the Teesta and other common rivers as it has no barraging capacity for lack of people’s mandate.

‘The current government can’t ensure Teesta water as it has no such capacity. It has no bargaining capability with India as it lacks people’s mandate,’ said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, reports UNB.

He came up with the remarks while speaking at a discussion organised by Sylhet Bibhag Sanghati Sammelani at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh, marking the 5th anniversary of the ‘enforced disappearance’ of former BNP MP M Ilias Ali.

Fakhrul described the government as a subservient one, and said it will not be able to resolve any problem of people. ‘As long as the government is in power, we can’t realise our due rights. We also won’t get back our democratic rights as the regime has been in power by force after getting alienated from people.’

The BNP leader said the Prime Minister could have told India that no deal would be signed had the Teesta one not inked. ‘But she couldn’t show such guts.’

He called upon the government to hold the next election under a non-party administration and neutral Election Commission to install a pro-people government.

Speaking at the programme, BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy said the deals the Prime Minister signed with India during her recent tour will not the useful for Bangladesh. ‘But, India will be benefited from those.’

He alleged that Sheikh Hasina signed the deals with India only to perpetuate her power forgetting patriotism and the country’s interests.

Referring to the Prime Minister’s remark that she did not go to India to seek anything, Gayeshwar questioned whether she went to brother’s house to appease them by cooking hilsa for them. ‘Had Hasina been elected with people’s votes, she wouldn’t have cooked hilsa in India.’

Another BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas said the government cannot realise the due share of water of the Teesta from India for its knee-jerk policy.

Referring to the Prime Minister’s remark ‘kuch to mila’ (got something at least), he said though Hasina could not bring anything for the country, she brought Hindi.