New Delhi, Oct 1: BJP today expressed concern over the India-Bangladesh land boundary agreement signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka last month alleging it amounted to legitimising transfer of land “illegally occupied” by Bangaldesh and sought a discussion on it in Parliament.
The BJP national executive discussed the issue and passed a resolution against the agreement saying the Centre has “legitimised Bangladeshi encroachment of Indian territory”. “There should be no transfer of Indian territory to Bangladesh without all facts being placed on the table of Parliament and a proper discussion and ratification of this agreement be got done by it,” said senior BJP leader Chandan Mitra.
He said BJP had opposed the agreement with Bangladesh and has demanded in its resolution that the 1,500-odd survey maps that were exchanged between Bangladesh and India be made public.
“The party has also demanded that all (strip) maps be placed in public domain and a discussion be held in the next session of Parliament and take the advice of Parliament before deciding on the issue,” he added.
The BJP leader charged that “in the name of rationalising the borders, local interests have been severely compromised with. The local population has been kept in the dark and people of the area are very disturbed.” Mitra said BJP fact-finding teams that had visited the area under the leadership of party's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha S S Ahluwalia and met the affected people on the Bangladesh border with India found that the people were “very disturbed as they were kept in the dark about the land transfer”.
“Some families have already started migrating to Indian territories now and are demanding their land back or adequate compensation in lieu thereof.”
Mitra, who was part of one such fact-finding team, said “the team found widespread confusion and anxiety prevailing among the people because they had not been taken into confidence.”
The BJP resolution said the party pledges to fight for the rights of people adversely impacted by the land boundary agreement of September 6 and demands that government comes clean before Parliament. PTI
