Amendment bill on Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh to be deferred

A statute amendment bill to operationalise the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh has been deferred for the time being with Congress opposing tooth and nail the exclusion of Assam from its ambit.

Sources said the government had planned to bring the bill in Raj ya Saba May 5, first day of the last week of Budget session. It is learnt that the issue also came at a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the Rajya Sabha today, where Congress opposed the government's move.

While the government has got various states, including Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal, on board on the issue, its decision to keep Assam out of it has irked Congress which rules that state.

BJP wants to exclude Assam due to sensitivities in the state where BJP aspires to come to power in assembly polls due early next year. A senior government functionary had said that since the issue of land swap under LBA with Bangladesh has evoked "emotional reaction" in Assam, the bill will not include any land pertaining to the state.

BJP unit in Assam has opposed the exchange of enclaves between Bangladesh and India involving the territory of Assam. Sources said that Congress on Thursday conveyed to the government that it will oppose the bill unless Assam is included.

"How can you keep Assam out of it? The government of Assam was in favour of the bill. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had even accompanied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he had visited Bangladesh in September, 2011 to sign an enabling agreement to implement LBA when UPA was in power.

"This is weird that even as the government of the state is in favour of the agreement, it is being kept out because the opposition party there does not want it," a senior Congress functionary said.