Staff Correspondent

Citing the uneven deals recently signed with India, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has observed that the neighbouring country will turn Bangladesh into a dependent state immediately.

“Rail corridor deal is one of the serious compromises with India. It will not yield any benefit for Bangladesh. The government grants India partnership in land, air and waterway connectivity,” he said.

While talking to the newsmen after placing a wreath at the grave of BNP founder late president Ziaur Rahman in Sher-e-Banglanagar area on Monday, Fakhrul said the government is dishing out falsehood over the deals signed with India during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent visit.

Earlier on 22 June, Dhaka and New Delhi signed 10 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) including seven new and three renewed in the presence of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to further consolidate the ever-growing relationship between the two countries.

“The government does not speak the truth before the countrymen. It deceives people all the time to make them foolish,” said the BNP leader.

Fakhrul, however, said he has no objection to the partnership and connectivity deals but raised the question of what Bangladesh will gain from the prime minister’s India visit. “We didn’t get anything indeed.”

Claiming that Bangladesh is being denied a due share of common rivers’ water, including Teesta, he said border killing is going on unabatedly and at the same time, the trade gap is widening significantly with India.

“However, we don’t have any transparent monitoring system to address the issues,” he said, blaming the ruling quarter for hatching a conspiracy to turn Bangladesh into a dependent country.