NEW DELHI: A Constitutional Amendment Bill for implementing the India-Bangladesh boundary agreement signed last year is expected to come up before the Union Cabinet on Thursday. The additional protocols for the Land Boundary Agreement 1974, signed during PM Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in September, 2011, require a Constitutional amendment for ratification as these involve exchange of land — 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves on Indian soil.
Bangladesh has already ratified the pact. It has taken more than a year for the government to move for the amendment despite repeated reminders from Dhaka. While Indian enclaves in Bangladesh are spread over 17,149 acres, Bangladesh enclaves in India are located in 7,110 acres.
The Bill is expected to be introduced in Parliament in the upcoming winter session after clearance from the Cabinet. With no development yet over the Teesta water-sharing issue, the government will hope that the introduction of the Bill in Parliament will help soothe Dhaka's frayed tempers.
With complete unanimity in Bangladesh about the need for the agreement, which has great strategic significance for India too, the government has been touting it as a major foreign policy achievement. However, it needs to take the BJP into confidence to ensure the amendment is passed by two-thirds of members "present and voting". The government has been assuring Bangladesh all this while that is working to create a political consensus in the country over the agreement. While West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had initially given her consent for the pact, she is later said to have again expressed reservations putting the government on the back foot.
Cabinet to discuss amendment to Indo-Bangla boundary pact
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Cabinet to discuss amendment to Indo-Bangla boundary pact
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Cabinet to discuss amendment to Indo-Bangla boundary pact
