Mathabhanga, July 22: Mamata
Banerjee today picked on Teesta water-sharing and border enclaves during
her panchayat election campaign in Cooch Behar, which shares a border
with Bangladesh.
At a rally in the
Mathabhanga College grounds, the chief minister reiterated her firm “no”
on both the issues the Congress-led UPA-II government wants settled,
unless she gets the nod of the people of North Bengal.
“Teesta’r jol tokhoni debo jokhon Uttar Banger manush chaiben… Chhit mahal tokhoni hobe jodi Cooch Behar er manush chaye
(I will give the Teesta waters when the people of North Bengal say so.
Exchange of enclaves will take place only if the people of Cooch Behar
so desire),” Mamata said today.
Mamata had opposed
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inking the Teesta water treaty allowing
larger share of the river’s water to Bangladesh during his trip to Dhaka
in September 2011.
Mamata had refused to accompany Singh to Bangladesh as a protest against the treaty.
Delhi’s repeated attempts to win over Mamata have failed.
Mamata’s stand gives a seal of approval to Trinamul’s campaign in the districts of Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar.
The Teesta flows
through these two districts after coming down the hills. Cooch Behar is
the only district in Bengal that has enclaves.
India has 102
enclaves inside Bangladesh and Bangladesh 71 inside India. Under the
Land Border Agreement signed by the two sides in 2011, residents of the
enclaves — tiny islands surrounded by a foreign country — would have a
choice between staying where they are and moving to their country. But
the Centre needs Parliament to ratify a constitutional amendment to
enforce the pact.
“Mamatadi will
never agree to any decision which could affect people’s interests. In
Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar, people are touchy about the Teesta. So she
raised this point to assure them (the people) of her support,” said a
Trinamul leader accompanying Mamata.
“The chief
minister is against the decision, since the people living in the
enclaves in Bangladesh are Indians. Why should they be deprived of an
Indian citizenship?” asked an aide of the chief minister.
Trinamul sources
said the party’s MLAs have been talking about Mamata’s refusal to allow
the Centre sign the treaty with Bangladesh for releasing additional
Teesta water and efforts to make the Teesta Barrage Project viable.
“The CPM used to
refer to the Teesta Barrage project and ask for votes. In reality, they
did nothing. Our government has tried to bring more arable land under
the project. Flood protection measures have been taken,” said Trinamul’s
Natabari MLA Rabindranath Ghosh.
At the public
meeting today, Mamata also spoke about the deplorable condition of the
NH31D. The chief minister took a detour from Bagdogra airport through
Malbazar to avoid the potholed NH31D.
“The national
highway is in such a bad shape. Cooch Behar shares the border with
Bangladesh. I don’t know why the Centre is not taking care of the
national highway. Ask the leaders of the Congress and its ally CPM why
they have done nothing,” Mamata said today.
“The Congress is
trying to get armed trouble-makers sneak into Bengal through the Assam
border. I am warning you. I have a request for the Assam government,
please don’t try to send armed goondas or police. Remember this is our state. Don’t play a political game.”
Sources said the
chief minister was possibly hinting at the arrest of Kanishka Roy, a KLO
activist from Assam’s Kokrajhar district who was arrested from Cooch
Behar on July 18.
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