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Bangladesh’s main absorption Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) connected Friday unveiled its predetermination manifesto, promising electoral reforms and accountable governance, portion outlining a tougher overseas argumentation stance, centred connected borderline information and river-water sharing.
The manifesto was launched by BNP president Tarique Rahman successful Dhaka. The enactment pledged to uphold the “dignity of the vote” and guarantee that nary 1 is supra the law, committing to a authorities that is accountable and straight answerable to citizens.A cardinal diagnostic of the manifesto is its accent connected long-standing flashpoints successful Bangladesh’s narration with India, though New Delhi hasn’t been mentioned successful arsenic galore words successful the slug points, including cross-border shootings, alleged “push-ins” and unresolved sharing of communal rivers.
The BNP said it would follow a much assertive attack to frontier absorption and stream diplomacy if voted to power.Under what it calls a “Bangladesh Before All” doctrine, the enactment framed its overseas argumentation astir “equality and self-dignity” and the slogan “Friend Yes, Master No”. It said Dhaka would not interfere successful the interior affairs of different countries and would not let interference successful its own.The strongest connection came for border-related concerns.
The manifesto vows to instrumentality “a strict position” to halt “border killing, push-in, and smuggling”, reflecting persistent Bangladeshi complaints implicit deaths on the India-Bangladesh borderline and allegations of radical being pushed crossed without owed process. On river-water sharing, the BNP promised “effective measures” to unafraid Bangladesh’s “fair share” from communal rivers “like Teesta and Padma”. It projected implementing a “Teesta Master Plan”, pursuing a Padma barrage task and strengthening the Joint River Commission (JRC), the bilateral assemblage liable for managing shared rivers.Although India is not explicitly named successful the manifesto’s slug points, the borderline and stream issues highlighted are cardinal to Dhaka-New Delhi ties. The manifesto besides signals involvement successful reviving determination platforms, promising to marque SAARC “effective” and to prosecute ASEAN membership, perchance broadening Bangladesh’s diplomatic options beyond its contiguous neighbourhood.The manifesto was unveiled conscionable six days up of Bangladesh’s nationalist elections scheduled for February 12, the archetypal since the ouster of erstwhile premier curate Sheikh Hasina successful 2024. With the Awami League barred from contesting, BNP is wide seen arsenic the beforehand runner successful the upcoming elections. The governmental scenery remains polarised, and planetary observers, including the International Crisis Group, person raised concerns implicit electoral credibility and the hazard of unrest.
