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The monsoon session of Indias Parliament has come to its end without ratifying New Delhis Land Boundary Agreement with Dhaka, even as the countrys Congress-led coalition Government managed to secure belligerent Oppositions support to get several other key Bills passed.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs Government got several key Bills like National Food Security Bill and Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill passed by Parliament during the monsoon session, which commenced on August 5 last and concluded on September 7. But the Government could not even introduce the Bill to amend the countrys Constitution to ratify Indias 1974 Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh and additional protocols added to it in 2011.
Singh told Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni a few days before the parliamentary session commenced that his Government intended to take the Bill to ratify the Land Boundary Agreement to Parliament. The assurance was given when Moni called on Indian Prime Minister during a visit to New Delhi in the last week of July.
Though the just-concluded monsoon session of Indian Parliament has been the most productive for the United Progressive Alliance Government in the recent years, New Delhis commitment to Dhaka to ratify the deal remained unfulfilled.
With the Opposition targeting the Congress-led Government over a series of corruption scandals, most of the parliamentary sessions since late 2010 concluded without much work being done.
The Congress, which is relying on the National Food Security Bill and Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill to brighten its prospects for the 2014 general elections, managed to secure support of the Bharatiya Janata Party the largest opposition party in both Houses of Parliament for the key legislations.
Salman Khurshid, External Affairs Minister of India, did make an attempt to introduce the Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha the upper House of Parliament to ratify the India-Bangladesh land deal on August 19 last, but had to give up as the MPs of the two regional parties Trinamul Congress and Asom Gana Parishad strongly opposed the move.
The BJP, which helped the Government get the other Bills passed by Parliament, too made it clear that it would oppose any move to ratify the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement and its additional protocol.
Singh had a meeting with top BJP leaders LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh during the session to secure the main opposition partys support to the move to ratify the India-Bangladesh land deal. The BJP leaders, however, declined to support, citing objections from the partys units in West Bengal and Assam. Swaraj later said that the BJP was opposed to ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement and its additional protocol, as it would result in transfer of 10000 acres of land from India to Bangladesh.
Khurshids earlier attempt to introduce the Bill in the Rajya Sabha during the Budget Session of Indian Parliament in May was blocked by the two MPs of the Asom Gana Parishad.
After his latest attempt to introduce the Bill was thwarted in the Rajya Sabha, Khurshid called up Trinamul Congress supremo and Chief Minister of eastern Indian state of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, and sought her support. Banerjee assigned her party MPs, Mukul Roy, Sudip Bandopadhyay and Derek OBrien, to hold talks with Khurshid.
Sources in the Indian Government said that although External Affairs Minister had made attempts to hold parleys with the Trinamul Congress MPs about a week before the parliamentary session concluded, Banerjees party showed little interest in engaging in talks with the central Government.
New Delhi had inked the additional protocol to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement with Dhaka during Singhs visit to Bangladesh in September 2011, after Indias central Government obtained consent of Banerjees administration in West Bengal as well as the Governments of the other States having borders with the countrys eastern neighbour.
Banerjee, who earlier blocked the proposed India-Bangladesh deal on sharing of water of river Teesta, however, has since made a volte face to oppose the move to ratify the Land Boundary Agreement and its additional protocols.
Ever since Dhaka and New Delhi added the protocol to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement in September 2011 to finally settle the boundary and resolve disputes over enclaves and adversely possessed pieces of land, the AGP and BJP have been vociferously opposing the move to ratify the deal. Trinamul Congress, which quit the ruling UPA coalition Government in 2012, later lent its voice to the clamour against the deal.
The 2011 protocol provides for swapping 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh with 51 Bangladesh enclaves in India and for preserving status quo on the adversely possessed swathes of land. The Indian Government needs to amend the Constitutions Fifth Schedule, which defines the territories of the States of India.
Delhi fails to get LBA cleared - bdnews24.com
Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs Government got several key Bills like National Food Security Bill and Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill passed by Parliament during the monsoon session, which commenced on August 5 last and concluded on September 7. But the Government could not even introduce the Bill to amend the countrys Constitution to ratify Indias 1974 Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh and additional protocols added to it in 2011.
Singh told Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni a few days before the parliamentary session commenced that his Government intended to take the Bill to ratify the Land Boundary Agreement to Parliament. The assurance was given when Moni called on Indian Prime Minister during a visit to New Delhi in the last week of July.
Though the just-concluded monsoon session of Indian Parliament has been the most productive for the United Progressive Alliance Government in the recent years, New Delhis commitment to Dhaka to ratify the deal remained unfulfilled.
With the Opposition targeting the Congress-led Government over a series of corruption scandals, most of the parliamentary sessions since late 2010 concluded without much work being done.
The Congress, which is relying on the National Food Security Bill and Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill to brighten its prospects for the 2014 general elections, managed to secure support of the Bharatiya Janata Party the largest opposition party in both Houses of Parliament for the key legislations.
Salman Khurshid, External Affairs Minister of India, did make an attempt to introduce the Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha the upper House of Parliament to ratify the India-Bangladesh land deal on August 19 last, but had to give up as the MPs of the two regional parties Trinamul Congress and Asom Gana Parishad strongly opposed the move.
The BJP, which helped the Government get the other Bills passed by Parliament, too made it clear that it would oppose any move to ratify the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement and its additional protocol.
Singh had a meeting with top BJP leaders LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh during the session to secure the main opposition partys support to the move to ratify the India-Bangladesh land deal. The BJP leaders, however, declined to support, citing objections from the partys units in West Bengal and Assam. Swaraj later said that the BJP was opposed to ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement and its additional protocol, as it would result in transfer of 10000 acres of land from India to Bangladesh.
Khurshids earlier attempt to introduce the Bill in the Rajya Sabha during the Budget Session of Indian Parliament in May was blocked by the two MPs of the Asom Gana Parishad.
After his latest attempt to introduce the Bill was thwarted in the Rajya Sabha, Khurshid called up Trinamul Congress supremo and Chief Minister of eastern Indian state of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, and sought her support. Banerjee assigned her party MPs, Mukul Roy, Sudip Bandopadhyay and Derek OBrien, to hold talks with Khurshid.
Sources in the Indian Government said that although External Affairs Minister had made attempts to hold parleys with the Trinamul Congress MPs about a week before the parliamentary session concluded, Banerjees party showed little interest in engaging in talks with the central Government.
New Delhi had inked the additional protocol to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement with Dhaka during Singhs visit to Bangladesh in September 2011, after Indias central Government obtained consent of Banerjees administration in West Bengal as well as the Governments of the other States having borders with the countrys eastern neighbour.
Banerjee, who earlier blocked the proposed India-Bangladesh deal on sharing of water of river Teesta, however, has since made a volte face to oppose the move to ratify the Land Boundary Agreement and its additional protocols.
Ever since Dhaka and New Delhi added the protocol to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement in September 2011 to finally settle the boundary and resolve disputes over enclaves and adversely possessed pieces of land, the AGP and BJP have been vociferously opposing the move to ratify the deal. Trinamul Congress, which quit the ruling UPA coalition Government in 2012, later lent its voice to the clamour against the deal.
The 2011 protocol provides for swapping 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh with 51 Bangladesh enclaves in India and for preserving status quo on the adversely possessed swathes of land. The Indian Government needs to amend the Constitutions Fifth Schedule, which defines the territories of the States of India.
Delhi fails to get LBA cleared - bdnews24.com