Decode Politics: Why Suvendu Adhikari govt has decided to transfer Bengal border land to BSF within 45 days

The issue of land acquisition for the India-Bangladesh border had been a major flashpoint during the Assembly polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had frequently accused the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime under Mamata Banerjee of blocking these transfers.

“The previous government stalled these projects to protect illegal infiltrators. We have removed those roadblocks,” Adhikari told the media.

Data presented by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in Parliament, shows that land acquisition by the Bengal government for fencing remains pending only for around 149 km. In August this year, the MHA told Parliament that 569 km of the border in Bengal remains unfenced. Of this, “112.780 km is non-feasible and 456.224 km is feasible”.

“Out of 456.224 km feasible International Border (International Border) length in West Bengal, land for 77.935 km has been handed over to the executing agency. For the balance stretch of 378.289 km, land acquisition is yet to be initiated for 148.971 km by the State Government. The remaining land for 229.318 km is in various stages of land acquisition,” the MHA stated.

What has BJP previously said on the issue?

During the debate on electoral reforms in the Lok Sabha in December last year, Shah launched a sharp attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led over delays in fencing the Indo-Bangladesh border.

Shah alleged that only Bengal had failed to complete its share of work in this regard, adding that it was due to the TMC government’s “reluctance” to cooperate with the BJP-led Centre.

“They say that infiltration is happening. Is the Government of India not responsible for this? Today, I want to state that the infiltration is happening through the India-Bangladesh border,” Shah told the House, outlining that 1,653 km of the 2,216 km border has been fenced.

“Do you know where the remaining 563 km is left? Only and only one state — Bengal… If you (TMC) also try to protect infiltrators, then the victory of the BJP there is certain,” he said, referring to the Assembly elections.

On December 11, 2023, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had told the Supreme Court: “It is submitted that the West Bengal government follows a far slower, more complex direct land purchase policy. Even for national security purposes like border fencing, there is non-cooperation by the state government. If the state of West Bengal cooperates in acquiring the land and hands over the land for fencing, the Central Government will do so.”

What is the current status of fencing?

The Bengal government has yet to approve acquisition of land for 31 km of fencing. Notably, for close to 182 km of fence length, the state government has received payments from the Centre, but not handed over the land to the executing agency.

For around 7 km, the state has yet to do land valuation, while for 9 km, the MHA has not made any payments yet.

What was causing the delays?

The delays in border fencing could not be entirely attributed to political obstructions. Bengal’s border districts – particularly Nadia, Murshidabad, and 24 Parganas – have some of the country’s most productive agricultural land capable of supporting three crop harvests annually. This agricultural richness creates complexities in land acquisition that go beyond political considerations.

According to the 2013 Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, land acquisition for such projects requires transparent compensation mechanisms and rehabilitation measures – legal requirements that state governments cannot bypass.

Farmer resistance, their concerns over livelihood losses, and fears linked to fencing being erected 150 yards inside Indian territory have slowed acquisition on the ground in Bengal. Yet, the point that the state alone accounts for most of the pending fencing work has reinforced the Centre’s argument that the project is entangled in an unusually complex bureaucratic process there.

Did the judiciary intervene?

In November, the Calcutta High Court directed the Mamata Banerjee government to file a comprehensive affidavit explaining the delays in land acquisition, questioning why land for which the Union government has already paid has not been handed over to the Centre.

In the high court too, the Centre’s position has been unambiguous. Additional Solicitor General Ashok Chakraborty told the Bench in August that the state was “not cooperating” and “not serious about acquiring land for fencing work.”

What has the TMC said?

The Mamata government had emphasised the need to protect farmers from displacement, asserting that Bengal was being “selectively targeted”.

“Infiltration is not a concern for West Bengal only. Infiltration is happening in all neighbouring states on the border, including Assam and Tripura. Shah should answer why it is happening in Assam and Tripura. They have double-engine governments there. Shah should answer how the Pahalgam attack happened. Security there is directly under him. How did terrorists travel so many km inside Kashmir after infiltrating from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)? Even the Border Security Force (BSF) is under Shah. He is the worst Home Minister the country has seen,” TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty had told The Indian Express.