New Delhi: Amid reports of Bangladesh blaming India for causing floods in certain parts of the country, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday denied the accusation and said that 'its narrative is misleading'.
Addressing the media weekly briefing here, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We have seen reports 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", Jaiswal added.
This comes in the wake of the allegations by Bangladesh that the opening of the Dumbur dam upstream of the Gumti River in Tripura has caused severe floods in the country. However, India denied it saying the claim is factually incorrect.
The Gumti River flows through the northeastern Indian state of Tripura before entering Bangladesh. The Dumbur dam, located in Tripura, is situated more than 120 km upstream from the Bangladesh border, the MEA has explained earlier.
However, the flood that caused the havoc in Bangladesh was due to water from those large catchments downstream of the dam, it added.
Bangladesh is currently going through a political crisis and has seen a rise in anti-India sentiments. Violent protests forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India.
Meanwhile, on the question of the deportation of Sheikh Hasina, the MEA spokesperson maintained, "As we stated earlier, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh came to India at a very short notice for reasons of safety. We have nothing further to add on the matter".
