Protests in Bangladesh Against Giving Transit Corridor to India and Ganges Water Dispute

Voices of protest have risen in Bangladesh against attempts to provide a transit corridor to India. Nahid Islam, convenor of the National Citizen Party (NCP), has issued a clear warning that any attempt to grant India a transit corridor of any kind through Bangladeshi soil will not be tolerated. In addition, he has demanded a fair agreement with the Indian government regarding the Ganges Water Treaty, which is set to expire on the coming 12 December. Nahid Islam has stated that if Bangladesh's share of water is not protected in the new treaty, the people of the country will take to the streets and launch an agitation.

On Friday, a rally was organized by the NCP in Dhaka, which was joined by hundreds of supporters. This rally was primarily held with the demand for the resignation of Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed and Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku. The opposition alleged that both these ministers have failed in maintaining law and order as well as in resolving the shortage of gas and electricity. Meanwhile, Nahid Islam made a serious allegation against Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's government of attempting to provide a transit corridor to India.

Nahid Islam alleged that Japan is once again trying to build a regional corridor via Bangladesh and the government wants to hand over this corridor to India. He told Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in clear terms that the people of Bangladesh will not accept any such illegal corridor. Notably, Tarique Rahman was on a visit to Japan from 26 to 29 October. During this visit, Japan and Bangladesh agreed to enhance mutual cooperation and strengthen connectivity in the Bay of Bengal region. Both countries discussed economic development, coping with natural disasters, and taking regional cooperation forward.

Japan is providing financial assistance for the development of the Matarbari deep-sea port in the southeastern area of Bangladesh. Japanese agency JICA is financially supporting this project. Japan's regional plan includes possibilities of connecting India's northeastern states with the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia through this port. However, Bangladesh's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir has denied these allegations. He stated that no issue related to a third country was discussed during Tarique Rahman's visit to Japan. In his view, the focus of the talks was solely the economic partnership between Bangladesh and Japan. He further added that if issues concerning other countries are to be discussed, representatives of those countries should also be present at the table.

India has also clarified its stance regarding the northeastern region. On 28 October, India spoke about further strengthening relations with Japan. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that there are many projects between India and Japan in which the role of northeast India is important and India wants to take these connectivity projects forward. This statement came at a time when Bangladesh and Japan agreed to increase regional connectivity. An agreement was also reached between Japan and Bangladesh to upgrade the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) initiative into a new strategic cooperation initiative, which will focus on connectivity, natural disasters, and geopolitical risks.

The issue of Ganges water sharing is also at the center of discussion right now because the current treaty is ending on 12 December. On 12 December 1996, the Ganges Water Treaty was signed between India and Bangladesh for 30 years. Under this treaty, the sharing of Ganges water at the Farakka Barrage in West Bengal during the period from January to May, which is the lean period, was decided. Bangladesh wants the new treaty to be for a longer period than before and for it to provide assurances that its share of water remains protected during the dry season.

Adopting a strict stance on this matter, Nahid Islam said that Bangladesh will not accept even a single drop less than its fair share in the Ganges Water Treaty this time. He warned that if the treaty is not in accordance with Bangladesh's interests, nationwide protests will be held. On the other hand, India says that all issues related to shared rivers, including Ganges water sharing, are discussed between the two countries through the Joint River Commission (JRC). This commission was established in 1972. According to the Ministry of External Affairs of India, technical-level talks regarding the Ganges Water Treaty are continuously underway.

The National Citizen Party (NCP) is a political party formed by leaders who emerged from the student-led movement in February 2025. This movement led the protests of July-August 2024, which resulted in then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina having to step down. At present, these allegations by the opposition against Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's government and the instability that has arisen over the corridor issue have become the center of political discussion. Pressure is now mounting in Bangladesh's domestic politics due to the aid provided by Japan for the development of the Matarbari port and its impact on trilateral economic relations between India, Bangladesh, and Japan.