The failure of the Indian government to place the constitution amendment bill to pave the way for the ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement with India has made the passage of the bill within the tenure of the current government uncertain.
The Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid tried to place the bill but could not do so due to strong opposition from the Trinomul Congress of West Bengal and Asom Gana Parishad of Assam on Monday.
Khurshid in April also failed to place “The Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill, 2013” to amend the Constitution of India and give way for India to acquire territories and transfer certain territories to Bangladesh in pursuance of the agreement and its protocol entered into between the governments of India and Bangladesh.
A senior official of the foreign ministry said it was unfortunate.
“The Indian government assured us many times but could not keep the promise it made,” he said.
It is very unlikely that the Indians can place the bill within the period of the Awami League government as the next election would be held by January next year, he said.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Tariq A Karim was reluctant to make any comments on the issue when contacted.
“We have taken up the issue with the Indian government and it will place the bill in their parliament. It is the only comment I want to make,” he told the Dhaka Tribune over telephone yesterday afternoon.
When asked about Bangladesh’s efforts to place the bill, he said: “All of us have tried for it.”
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, on a tour to India from July 25-27, met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Salman Khurshid and Arun Jaitly, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of India), and held discussions regarding the placing of the bill.
Tariq A Karim on July 27 met with BJP leader Narendra Modi, apparently seeking his support for the placing of the bill.
Dhaka ratified the agreement in 1974 just after it was signed by the then President of Bangladesh Sheikh Mojibur Rahman and late Indian Premier Indira Ghandhi. The government also issued a gazette notification the same year but India is yet to ratify it.
If the LBA comes into effect, both countries will have official borders instead of defacto borders.
It would also help exchange 162 enclaves and resolve the disputes related to adversely possessed land (APL).
There are 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh territory where 34,000 people live while 51 Bangladesh enclaves with 17,000 people are inside India- the fate of those living in these territories will be settled after the implementation of the LBA.
The people in the enclaves do not enjoy any state facilities, including health and education services, as they are living in another country.
Bangladesh and India have a vast porous border of 4,076kms of which 6.5kms is undemarcated in three places.
In the 12 APL patches, the total land volume is about 5,500 acres and after the adjustment, Bangladesh would take around 2,300 acres of land and India over 3,400 acres.
