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The pending resolution of the Teesta River watershed agreement "is no longer a problem" for the government of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said the political advisor of Mrs. Hasina, Hossain Toufique Imam. The statement indicates a significant change of stance for the Hasina government, which has appealed to New Delhi to resolve the problem ahead of the general elections scheduled for December.
"Teesta is no longer a problem," Imam said in response. A Question of The Hindu While He Spoke at a Reflection Event in Delhi Saturday
Resigned to Delay
"PM Hasina often says that we are a lower riparian state, and the Rivers flow down You can not stop Teesta from entering Bangladesh and today or tomorrow there will be a formal agreement, but it is no longer a problem between neighbors. " he added, indicating that his government might resign himself to the fact that the agreement will not be signed soon.
The agreement has been pending since it was almost signed in 2011, but was blocked at the last minute by West Bengal's chief minister, Mamata Banerjee.
million. The words of the Imam were in stark contrast to Hasina's repeated calls up to now, calling the water-sharing agreement "transformational" for the relations between the l & # 39; 39, India and Bangladesh. A delegation from the Awami League also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April of this year, stressing that the Teesta issue was a "serious problem" for the ruling party, which needed to be resolved.
Imam, however, conceded that opposition parties, led by the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), would raise the government's inability to reach agreement during the election campaign .
million. Imam's visit to Delhi, where he met with the Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr. J. Akbar, comes one month after a BNP opposition delegation addressed several groups. reflection.
In an interview with The Hindu BNP Standing Committee member, Amir Khosru Chowdhury, called on India to promote free and fair elections in Bangladesh and "not support any party during the elections. In 1965, there was much interest in Delhi and Dhaka
Condemns the Opposition
Answering a question, Mr. Imam, who holds a ministerial post in the government of Mrs. Hasina. , said it was "impossible" for the BNP and India to reconcile their differences, and added that Delhi should "expel all elements of the BNP of the country."
"The BNP members who came here are not only Pakistanis but also pro-China and have been virtually supported by the Jamaat-e-Islami (who was banned from the elections) .They work against Indian interests ", Imam alleged, also warning that the" pro-Pakistani "elements would try to disrupt the elections in Bangladesh.
Charges and Counter-Allegations During Political Leaders' Visits on Both Sides of The Bangladeshi political spectrum indicates how the next campaign may be passionate.
This week, the Awami League also criticized the comments of the US Ambassador to Dhaka Marcia Bernicat, who had expressed concerns about the irregularities in the recent bypolls Gazipur and Khulna. His son and adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy, considered his political successor, has described the US Embassy in Bangladesh as "BNP spokesman," while other leaders have warned of any "foreign interference" in the elections.
Concerns have also increased about the possibility of violence in the coming months, which has spoiled the preparations for the January 2014 elections, won by the Awami League.
Cooperate the Fringe
This time, the Awami League was accused of tacitly seeking support from the Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islami, which organized violent protests in 2013, during which dozens of people were killed
. Requested by The Hindu M. Imam downplayed worries over the growth of Hefazat's cadres and madrassas in Bangladesh. "Their numbers are so great that no one can stop them with force, we have to do it tactfully, we have converted many Hefazat students into madrassas for Awami League supporters, which is why we think that in the elections, we do not think that they will be a factor, "he said.
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