Patna: Four months ahead of the likely renewal of the India-Bangladesh Treaty on sharing Ganga waters, JD(U) working president and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Kumar Jha on Friday said New Delhi should walk out of the pact and his party would oppose any move to renew it “tooth and nail”.The treaty, signed on Dec 12, 1996, between then India PM H D Deve Gowda and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Wajed, is due for renewal on Dec 12 this year after 30 years.“At the time of the signing of the 1996 treaty, the interests of Bihar were sacrificed. It has really been a sacrifice made on the part of the people of Bihar for 30 years since then, but the reality has dawned, and the JD(U) will oppose the renewal of the treaty tooth and nail,” Jha said.“Our neta (and former CM) Nitish Kumar has consistently raised the issues regarding silt deposit on the bed of the river Ganga, flood problem and the need for the use of its water for irrigation and other purposes in the state. As much as 73% of water that should be for Bihar is going to Bangladesh,” he said.Jha said Nitish’s stand was to either demolish Farakka barrage or walk out of the treaty.
