BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has sharply criticised India’s handling of transboundary river waters and pledged to resist New Delhi’s “overbearing attitude” if voted to power while also cautioning party members against internal divisions as the BNP prepares for the upcoming national election.

During a visit to a rubber dam on the Mahananda River ahead of the BNP’s “Save the Padma” rally, Fakhrul accused India of denying Bangladesh its fair share of the Ganges and Teesta waters.

He said decades of imbalance—intensified by the Farakka Barrage—have left many rivers drying up, worsening erosion, damaging agriculture and pushing thousands toward displacement during monsoon floods.

He warned that the situation could deteriorate further once the current Ganges Water Sharing Treaty expires in 2026. Fakhrul said the BNP, if elected, would make equitable water-sharing, the Teesta deal, border killing issues and trade imbalances high priorities in negotiations with India. He said the Joint Rivers Commission’s irregular meetings and what he described as New Delhi’s “high-handed behaviour” had obstructed progress for years.

Linking Bangladesh’s river crisis with climate vulnerabilities, he argued that only a government with full electoral legitimacy can defend national interests effectively. “Every country protects its own interests. A government backed by the people can negotiate with strength. Unelected rulers cannot,” he said, criticising past administrations for what he described as submissive diplomacy toward India.

Fakhrul said the BNP intends to internationalise the river issue through its “Save the Padma” campaign, led by Chapainawabganj-3 candidate Harunur Rashid. He also reiterated the party’s long-standing demand for a Ganges Barrage in Rajbari to restore water flow to central and southern Bangladesh.

While focusing on regional water politics, Fakhrul also delivered a strong message about internal cohesion. Speaking a day later at the grave of former minister Barrister Aminul Haque in Godagari, he warned that “a particular group” was trying to create rifts within the BNP for political gain. He urged leaders and activists to stay united, saying Bangladesh could not afford internal disputes at such a critical time.

He presented Major General (retd) Sharif Uddin as the party’s primary nominee for Rajshahi-1 and called on activists to rally behind him amid reports of multiple BNP figures seeking nominations and rebel activists staging protests in Rajshahi.

Following the prayer gathering, Fakhrul travelled to Chapainawabganj to join the mass rally, tying together the BNP’s message on national sovereignty, environmental security and party unity.