New Delhi: India on Friday rejected a report that suggested its involvement in the Bangladesh floods through the opening of the Farakka barrage gates, saying that the narrative is "misleading" and factually incorrect. It said the report ignored regular and timely exchange of data and critical information between the two countries.
"We have seen the CNN report on the flood situation in Bangladesh. Its narrative is misleading and suggests that India is somehow responsible for the floods. This is factually not correct and ignores the facts mentioned in the press releases issued by the Government of India clarifying the situation. They have also ignored that we have regular and timely exchange of data and critical information between the two countries through existing joint mechanisms for water resources management," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
India's response came after CNN reported that Bangladesh is enduring one of its worst floods in history - with several districts inundated and large swaths of Feni city submerged - for which people blamed officials in India. The report said dozens of Bangladeshis accused India of releasing water from the Dumbur dam in neighbouring Tripura state with no warning. Pranay Verma, India’s high commissioner to Bangladesh, told Bangladesh’s interim government an “automatic release” occurred at the dam due to high water levels, according to the interim government’s press secretary, Shafiqul Alam.
'Factually incorrect' reports
India had earlier described similar reports as "factually incorrect". Jaiswal dismissed reports in Bangladesh on Monday that claimed the opening of the Farakka barrage was the reason behind the flooding in Bangladesh. "We have seen fake videos, rumours and fear-mongering to create misunderstanding. This should be firmly countered with facts," he said.
Calling it a normal seasonal development, Jaiswal said, "This is a normal seasonal development that takes place due to increased inflow from heavy rainfall in the Ganga river basin catchment areas upstream." The MEA spokesperson responded to media queries on the matter and explained that Farakka is just a barrage and not a dam, it can only restrict water movement up to pond level, upon crossing that, the water will pass.
The death toll from devastating floods caused by relentless monsoon rain and overflowing rivers in Bangladesh has risen to more than 30 as of Friday, with millions of families stranded across several districts. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department said that flood conditions could persist if the monsoon rains continued, as water levels were receding very slowly.
India on PM Modi-Biden talks over Bangladesh
On speculations that the US statement on talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden did not feature Bangladesh, Jaiswal said the claims were "uninformed, tendentious, and motivated" and betrayed a "total lack of familiarity" with how contacts between world leaders are organised. "The subject of Bangladesh, which has been highlighted by certain quarters, was very much discussed substantially by both the leaders," he said.
"Firstly, press releases issued after such conversations between leaders are not like Joint Statements where every word is negotiated and mutually agreed upon. Secondly, such press releases are not meant to be comprehensive readouts of such conversations. Finally, it is not unusual for two sides to emphasise different aspects of the same conversation in their respective readouts." said the MEA spokesperson.
"The absence of an aspect in one press release or the other is not evidence of its absence in the conversation itself. I am very much aware of the contents of the conversation between the Prime Minister and the President and I can tell you that our press release is an accurate and faithful record of what transpired in the conversation," he added.
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