BNP to focus on Tipaimukh, Asian Highway, Maritime Boundary: Khaleda

UNB, Dhaka

Former Prime Minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia said her party is focusing on Tipaimukh Dam, the Asian Highway and demarcation of maritime boundary as priority issues of the day in order to protect national interests.
Khaleda, leader of the opposition in the present parliament, outlined the BNP's present priorities apart from reorganizing the party while talking exclusively to UNB at her Gulshan office on Sunday night.
She said India's Tipaimukh dam is an important national issue for Bangladesh and it should be resolved through united effort of all irrespective of political opinions.
Referring to the presentation of data and information about the controversial dam and its adverse impacts on Bangladesh under her personal initiative on July 18, Khaleda said she had invited ministers, leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties, experts and people of different professions to share information, data and knowledge over the dam and its possible fallouts.
The BNP chairperson observed that not only people of Bangladesh, people of some states of India have also raised their voice against the Indian government's move to construct the Tipaimukh dam as it will harm both the countries rather than help either.
She said since experts are more competent than others to analyze the impact of the dam, her party has been emphasizing sending experts to visit the dam site and collect data and information about it.
Begum Zia mentioned that earlier she had sent a letter to the Prime Minister with a list of six members of a team that included four experts to visit the dam site. The names were sent responding to the Prime Minister's proposal, but they did not yet get any reply from the government side.On organizational matter, the BNP chairperson said she is now engrossed in dealing with organizational matters. She said the central committee of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal has been constituted and committees of other front organizations, including Jatiyatabadi Jubodal and Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, are in the offing. Replying to a question, Khaleda said, "There is no disappointment among leaders and workers over the formation of grassroots-level committees as everything is moving smoothly."She however said in few palaces, where some problems are there, grassroots leaders are informing the party in writing and corrective measures are being taken.
Asked about the pro-reform group in BNP that had emerged during the previous army-backed caretaker regime, Begum Zia said: "Excepting one or two, all of them are in the party."