NSA seeks Sushma,Jaitley support

As part of the agreement which was finalised in the PMs Manmohan Singhs visit to Dhaka last September,India has agreed to hand over 55 enclaves in exchange for 111 enclaves that Bangladesh will hand over. It is imperative for the government to get the backing of the Opposition as the land exchange will require a constitutional amendment or a reference to Parliament,given that the issue deals with ceding land to a foreign nation. Such a process had been followed earlier when India had ceded Berubari in West Bengal to erstwhile East Pakistan.

The BJP,however,does not appear inclined to support the government on the issue. In its national executive held in October last,the party had strongly criticised the India-Bangladesh land transfer agreement,charging that it had severely compromised interests of local population in the name of rationalisation of adversely possessed lands.

A party committee headed by BJP deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha S S Ahluwalia had visited affected border districts in Assam and WB and submitted a report which was critical of the government move. The BJP then demanded the government should place details of the land transfer protocols with all relevant survey maps before Parliament.