Long March Against Tipai Dam

Ershad vows to continue movement

11 December 2011, 18:00 PM

Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary, from Zakiganj

Jatiya Party's long march protesting the Indian government's move to construct the controversial Tipaimukh dam on the Barak river in its northeastern Manipur state concluded yesterday with a vow to continue the movement. “The movement does not end here. It is the beginning of our movement against the Indian government's initiative to build the Tipaimukh dam which would seriously threaten our environment,” said Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman HM Ershad. He was addressing several thousand people at the concluding rally of the two-day-long programme at Zakiganj Government Boy's High School playground. Ershad arrived in the frontier Zakiganj upazila with his entourage riding in around 1,000 vehicles from Sylhet Alia Madrasa premises. JP, a key component of the Awami League-led grand alliance, started the long march towards Sylhet from Dhaka on Saturday. Ershad said, “We will raise the Tipaimukh dam issue everywhere. We will tell that India betrayed us. If necessary, we will sacrifice our lives to prevent the dam's construction.” He said the Indian prime minister did not keep the promise he made during his recent Bangladesh visit that India would not do anything which will harm Bangladesh. Terming the Tipaimukh issue a “national problem”, he urged all political parties to jointly protest the Indian move. “It is not the time to create differences. Let us work together to find a solution.” He urged Bangladesh's prime minister to prevent the dam's construction through discussions with the Indian side. However, JP Presidium Member Kazi Zafar Ahmed claimed that India took the initiative after “silent support” from Bangladesh's prime minister and the government. “Jatiya Party should leave the grand alliance if the government fails to settle the matter,” he said, adding that Ershad, if assigned, could solve the matter in three months. JP Secretary General Ruhul Amin Howlader, presidium members Anisul Islam Mahmud, Zia Uddin Ahmed Bablu and Kazi Firoz Rashid and lawmaker Salma Islam spoke at the rally chaired by Sabbir Ahmed, chairman of Zakiganj upazila parishad.