After a long wait, Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has placed the constitution amendment bill to pave the way for ratifying the land boundary agreement between Bangladesh and India.
With Bangladesh bracing for its 10th Parliamentary election on the other side of the border, the Indian minister, in his third attempt, successfully placed the bill at the Rajya Sabha yesterday.
The minister earlier tried to place the bill in two previous sessions but failed due to strong resistance from the members of Assam Gana Parishad, BJP and Trinomul Congress.
“The bill has been placed, but there is only two days left before the current winter session of Rajya Sabha is prorogued, and it would be difficult to pass the bill,” said an official at the Bangladesh foreign ministry.
He said the bill, however, would be valid for the next Indian government as the country would also go to the polls in April. “We have had repeated assurance from the Indian side. We can say it is concluded once it is passed in both houses in India.”
After passage of the bill in the Rajya Sabha, it needs to be approved by Lok Sabha, the lower chamber of the Indian Parliament.
Khurshid in the parliament said: “I move for leave to introduce a bill further to amend the Constitution of India to give effect to the acquiring of territories by India and transfer of certain territories to Bangladesh in pursuance of the agreement and its protocol entered into between the Governments of India and Bangladesh.”
Dhaka has ratified the agreement in 1974 just after it was signed by then President of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and late Indian Premier Indira Ghandhi. The government had also and issued gazette notification in the same year, but, India is yet to ratify it.
Salman Khurshid, at a joint press briefing on February 16 this year had said he hoped that the LBA would be ratified in the budget session at the Indian parliament.
Exchange of enclaves, APL
There are 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh’s territory where 34,000 people live while Bangladesh has 51 enclaves comprising 17,000 people, inside India and the fate of these people would be settled after the implementation.
Bangladesh and India have a vast porous border measuring 4,076km with 6.5km of it un-demarcated in three places.
In the 12 APL patches, the total land size is about 5,500 acres and after the adjustment, Bangladesh would get about 2,300 acres of land while India over 3,400, sources said.
The 6.5km un-demarcated border has a total land size of about 150 acres, a foreign ministry official said.
Bangladesh will get 35 acres in Matamuhuri, 70 in Doikhata and 35 in Lathithuli borders, he added.
