Dhaka, Sept. 9 -- The International Farakka Committee (IFC) has said that Indian leaders making centre-state negotiations on Ganges water a condition for extending the 30-year treaty with Bangladesh is alarming.

The treaty is set to expire at the end of 2026.

By allowing Indian state voices to have a say, IFC fears the creation of a smokescreen like the one that led to India's failure to sign a treaty on the Teesta in 2011, which Delhi conveniently blamed on a stance taken by the then West Bengal government.

IFC in its statement noted that Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has assured Bihar its water requirements would be taken into consideration before any decision is made on renewing the Ganges treaty, as per a report pub...