The map of Bangladesh could be in for changes as the Indian parliament has passed a constitution amendment bill paving the way for ratifying and implementing the decades old Land Boundary Agreement between the neighbours.
The implementation of the agreement would lead to Bangladesh relinquishing enclaves within India of over 7,000 acres with a population of 17,000. India would have to give up enclaves with a total area of over 17,000 acres with 37,000 people.
This bill will also settle the long-standing issue over disputed lands along the border amounting to about 5,000 acres on both sides of the border.
The enclave inhabitants, would however, be given the choice to decide their citizenship on both sides of the border.
“This is a historic day. The agreement, which was signed 41 years ago, is going to be completed now,” said a jubilant Sushma Swaraj, the Indian Foreign Minister, in her speech at the Indian parliament on Wednesday.
She piloted the bill Wednesday afternoon and over 30 lawmakers took part in the debate. All of them supported the bill and it is scheduled to be placed in Lok Sabha today for approval.
Sushma Swaraj said Bangladesh and India enjoyed a very warm relationship but from now on it would be even better.
She started her speech by congratulating everybody for supporting the bill.
“I am very happy that Manmohan Singh [former Indian Prime Minister] is also here among us. He started it and today I am going to conclude it,” she said.
The bill was placed by former Indian foreign minister Salman Khurshid before the Rajya Sabha in 2013 and, after one year, the standing committee submitted its report to the parliament for consideration.
Bangladesh and India signed the agreement in 1974 and it was ratified by Dhaka the same year. Both countries also signed a protocol in 2011 to implement the agreement.
In her 10-minute speech, Sushma said Assam was unhappy about implementing the agreement. “Some people over there are not happy.”
She admitted that New Delhi wanted to negotiate with Dhaka about 268 acres which Assam will have to give away.
“We did not know what would be the result of the negotiation but we wanted to give it a try,” she said.
She, however, said when everybody requested them to pass the bill including Assam, they gave in.
Explaining the bill, she said inhabitants of the enclaves would determine their citizenship.
“If they want, Bangladeshis in India will be given Indian citizenship and Indians in Bangladesh will be given Bangladeshi citizenship,” she said.
Out of a total 162 enclaves, 111 Indian enclaves are located in Nilphamari, Panchagarh, Kurigram and Lamonirhat in Bangladesh, while 52 Bangladeshi enclaves are located in Kuchbihar in India.
Over 34,000 people live in Indian enclaves in Bangladesh while over 17,000 live in Bangladeshi enclaves.
The Indian foreign minister said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked for Rs3,008 crore for rehabilitation of the enclave inhabitants.
Trinamool Congress, the ruling party of West Bengal adjacent to Bangladesh, lent its support to the bill too, she said.
Leader of the Opposition at the Rajya Sabha and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said the ruling party, BJP, had opposed the bill when it was introduced in 2013.
“But their minds and hearts have changed with the change of power,” he said.
BJP came to power with a landslide victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs State Minister Mohammad Shahriar Alam said a big hurdle had been removed in the implementation of the agreement.
He congratulated the Indian government and the parliament for endorsing the amendment bill. “I cannot confirm a time frame but rest assured that it will be implemented soon.”
He said the Bangladesh government would also take an initiative to provide civic amenities for the enclave inhabitants.
