Indian cabinet clears LBA bill.

The Indian cabinet on Tuesday approved a constitution amendment bill to make operational the much-awaited Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh, including territories in Assam along with those in West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya.Chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, the cabinet meeting cleared the bill, which is likely to be placed in Rajya Sabha today for passage, the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported from New Delhi.
Earlier, the government had proposed to bring the bill by keeping Assam out of its purview but faced stiff resistance from the main opposition Indian National Congress which wanted territories in Assam to be included in the bilateral deal.
The inclusion of Assam territories in the bill indicates the government’s resolve to get the legislation cleared after bringing almost all major opposition parties in the parliament on board, said the report quoting unnamed sources.
The cabinet decision on the LBA has brightened the possibility of prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh in June next, according to officials.
The Indian cabinet at a meeting late on Monday night discussed the bill with Assam leaders and decided to include the north-eastern state in it. Earlier, a meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party leaders was held at BJP president Amit Shah’s residence in this regard.
Sushma Swaraj told newsmen that the Congress leaders had categorically said that they would not support the land boundary constitution amendment bill keeping Assam out of its purview when BJP leaders discussed the issue with them.
So, the Indian government took initiatives to pass the bill as it was placed in Rajya Sabha during the last Congress government, she added.
Parliament member Romen Deck, who was present at the meeting, said since it was an international agreement, it should not be amended or changed.
The bill is aimed to ratify the LBA between India and Bangladesh under the Indira-Mujib pact of 1974 to swap the enclaves on either side of the border between the two neighbours.
A protocol was signed during the then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in 2011 to implement the LBA.
International relations experts and former ambassadors are now very much optimistic about implementation of the land boundary agreement left pending for ratification by India that requires constitutional amendments.
They said that the political impediments that came on the way to the LBA ratification are not in sight at the moment.
‘I do not see any problem at the moment as the BJP government which has two-thirds majority in parliament has taken the move with Indian Congress and Trinamul Congress supporting it,’ said Delwar Hossain, professor of international relations at Dhaka University.
Referring to the recent statement of Indian politicians and the planned visit by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh, Delwar said that he was very much optimistic about passage of the bill by the Indian parliament.
Former ambassador Humayun Kabir, also vice-president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, said that BJP and Trinamul Congress had earlier expressed their reservations about ratification of the 1974 Indira-Mujib pact, but this time they supported the move.
‘The LBA ratification requires approval from the Indian parliament. I hope both the houses of the Indian parliament will pass the bill,’ he said.
Former ambassador Mohiuddin Ahmed said, ‘This time a positive result will come out after 41 years as I see the top BJP leaders met at party president Amit Shah’s house and finalised the draft giving an indication that they really want it.’
India has kept pending ratification of the Mujib-Indira land boundary agreement halting settlement process of border demarcation and exchange of enclaves till date.
Bangladesh parliament ratified the agreement on November 27, 1974 after prime ministers of the two countries had signed it on May 16, 1974 for demarcation of 4,156 kilometers of land boundary between the two countries.
India needs to introduce a constitutional amendment bill because its implementation involves territory swap.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee at the end of last year declared her approval for the deal. Mamata,the Trinamool Congress chief, who had earlier opposed the move for swapping the territories between the two countries, said her government would write a letter to the centre requesting an early solution to the problems of enclaves.
There are 162 adversely-held enclaves in Bangladeshi and Indian territories. India is supposed to hand over 111 enclaves measuring 17,160 acres to Bangladesh and on the other hand receive 51 enclaves covering an area of 7,110 acres under the agreement.
Over 51,000 people are living a ‘miserable life’ in the enclaves without having any national identity, according to enclave people. - See more at: http://newagebd.net/117383/indian-cabinet-clears-lba-bill/#sthash.pICzlixq.dpuf