West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday affirmed that her state will oppose any agreement between India and Bangladesh on the Teesta River, as sharing Teesta water would mean “depriving North Bengal of water.”
Opposing the Teesta Water Treaty while addressing the legislative assembly, Banerjee said, “My government will oppose any agreement between India and Bangladesh over sharing the Teesta River water, as sharing Teesta water will mean depriving North Bengal of water.”
She further criticized the Centre, stating, “Without consulting West Bengal, they are proceeding with the Teesta Water Treaty. Why do they allow 14 hydro power plants on the Teesta in Sikkim? I have repeatedly said that there is not enough water in the Teesta River, and we can’t supply water to Bangladesh from it. If we supply water to Bangladesh, then most areas of North Bengal will face a water crisis. This is a one-sided decision.”
Mamata Banerjee also lashed out at BJP leaders for demanding the incorporation of North Bengal into northeastern states, saying, “We will never let this happen. They are trying to divide Bengal. We will never accept this. We will protest against this, and the people of Bengal will protest against this. I am elected by the people of Bengal; it is my responsibility to take care of the state.”
She further condemned the proposal to divide North Bengal, stating, “It’s a shame, and I condemn the proposal to divide North Bengal. BJP MLAs don’t have the guts to face the reality of the situation. They always walk out and play politics with the state. They are only concerned with media attention and nothing else.”
This statement comes after BJP’s West Bengal State President Sukanta Majumdar wrote a letter to PM Modi demanding the incorporation of North Bengal with northeastern India. Hitting out at BJP’s Nishikant Dubey’s statement of declaring Malda and Murshidabad as Union Territory, Banerjee said, “BJP is trying to defame Bengal. After winning, they talk about dividing Bengal. Someone is saying to separate North Bengal from West Bengal while others are saying to make Malda and Murshidabad a Union Territory.”
Banerjee also mentioned her proposal for an Indo-Bhutan river commission at the NITI Aayog meeting and demanded its formation. “In the NITI Aayog meeting, I proposed the formation of an Indo-Bhutan river commission, as Bengal suffers from flood issues. I directed state government officials to meet with the irrigation and finance departments to resolve the issue. During the rainy season, North Bengal faces flood situations. I also proposed to the Speaker to send an assembly representative to the central government to raise this issue.”
Speaking on the budget allocation for flood-affected states like Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, etc., Banerjee asserted, “Salute to the BJP government for this discrimination. Assam and Bihar get funds for flood relief, but we don’t.”
Earlier, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech in Lok Sabha, said, “Bihar has frequently suffered from floods, many of them originating outside the country. Plans to build flood control structures in Nepal are yet to progress. Our government, through the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program and other sources, will provide financial support for projects with an estimated cost of Rs 11,500 crores, including the Kosi-Mechi intra-state link and 20 other ongoing and new schemes, such as barrages, river pollution abatement, and irrigation projects.”
(With ANI Inputs)
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