Brahmaputra: Send a team to China,Rajnath tells PM

Close on the heels of the governments assertion that China was not diverting the course of the Brahmaputra,senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh on Friday demanded that New Delhi send a team of experts to China to get a first-hand account of construction of dams on the river. In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,he alleged the government was oblivious to Beijings designs.

Citing assurances by Beijing and the Centres own verification,Foreign Minister S M Krishna had on Thursday told Assam CM Tarun Gogoi that the course of the Brahmaputra was not being diverted.

Ironically,our Foreign Minister continues to believe that the project will not do any harm to Indias interests, Singh said.

Pointing out that the question was of the livelihood of millions in the Northeast,he said India being a riparian state should engage China,along with affected countries like Bangladesh,to formulate a tripartite water treaty.

Singh said the BJP has raised the issue of China diverting Brahmaputras flow on many occasions,but the government seems to be oblivious to these facts.