Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday said any other deal with India will be meaningless if the Teesta water-sharing one is not inked during the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to the neighbouring country.

‘The Prime Minister will have to resolve the outstanding problems with India, mainly water-related ones, to make her India tour a success. The Teesta deal should get the first priority,’ he said, reports UNB.

The BNP leader further said, ‘People had long been expecting that the Awami League government would ensure the due share of waters of the Teesta and other common rivers through signing deals with India. So, if the Teesta agreement isn’t signed, any other deal will be meaningless.’

Fakhrul came up with the comments while talking to reporters after placing wreaths at BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave together with the leaders and activists of Zia Parishad, marking its founding anniversary.

He alleged that the current government cannot strongly make a bargain over the Teesta deal as it is giving priority to protecting another country’s interests sacrificing Bangladesh’s one. ‘The country’s people won’t accept if any deal is signed sacrificing the country’s interest and independence.’

About the Prime Minister’s recent remark that BNP came to power in 2001 with the help of Indian inelegance agency RAW and the US, the BNP leader said it is a baseless, untrue and fabricated statement. ‘Is the Prime Minister trying to prove with her comment that Bangladesh’s election is held with the help of India’s RAW and America?’

Mentioning that BNP won the national election in 2001 with people’s spontaneous support, he questioned whether Awami League has been in power by force with the help of RAW and the US. ‘Before making such unguarded comments, the Prime Minister should have thought those only tarnish the country’s image and harm politics.’