The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies have initiated a two-day program starting today (Monday) under the banner of the Teesta River Protection Movement, with the slogan “Jago Bahe-Tista Bachao” (Wake up, Save Teesta). The program focuses on the distribution of water from the Teesta River and the implementation of river-related projects.
According to party sources, the protest will involve a continuous 48-hours sit-in at locations along the Teesta River, demanding a solution to the water-sharing issue concerning the Teesta Agreement and other common rivers, and pressuring India to safeguard Bangladesh’s interests.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will inaugurate the program today near the Teesta Railway Bridge in Lalmonirhat. On the concluding day, Tuesday, the party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman will deliver a speech.
Additionally, rallies will be held in 11 locations across the northern districts of Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, and Nilphamari, where senior party leaders will address the gatherings. Leaders of allied political parties will also participate in the events.
Organizers have announced that the Teesta River Protection Movement Committee will conduct a march towards the Teesta River and hold sit-ins along both banks of the river covering a distance of 230 kilometers. The movement demands fair distribution of Teesta’s water and the implementation of a long-term river management plan.
Prominent BNP leaders such as Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Vice-Chairman Barkat Ullah Bulbul, Shamsuz Zaman Dudu, along with leaders from the Bangladesh Jatiya Party, Revolutionary Workers Party, and Ganasanghati Andolon, including Zonyad Saki, will be attending various stages of the protest.
