DHAKA NEWS
New Delhi, Feb 25 New Delhi is keen to introduce a constitution amendment bill required for ratification of the 1974 India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement in parliament in the budget session next month, says home minister Shahara Khatun.
The assurance came during a meeting of the home minister with Indian finance minister Pranab Mukherjee at his office in New Delhi on Saturday.
Shahara later told journalists that Mukherjee had also assured her that the Indian government would take necessary steps for inking of the interim agreement with Bangladesh on sharing of the Teesta river water.
On behalf of her government, the home minister also extended an invitation to Mukherjee to visit Bangladesh, which the Indian finance minister accepted. The dates of his visit would be worked upon later, she added.
Shahara, who is on a visit to India since Thursday, visited Ajmer Sharif on Saturday. She returned to Delhi in the evening and met Mukherjee.
She, however, declined to comment on West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's reservations on the proposed India-Bangladesh agreement on Teesta water sharing.
"I will not make any comment (on Banerjee's views on the deal on Teesta). He (Mukherjee) is a veteran politician and the leader of House. He has assured me that the Indian government would take necessary steps towards inking the agreement," she told the waiting journalists after her meeting with the Indian finance minister.
Mukherjee is the leader of House of Indian parliament's lower chamber, Lok Sabha.
Shahara said she had a very cordial meeting with Mukherjee.
Although India signed a land boundary agreement (better known as Indira-Mujib pact) with Bangladesh in 1974, the deal was not ratified by New Delhi.
During Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh on Sep 6-7 last, Dhaka and New Delhi signed a protocol to the 1974 agreement to resolve the outstanding disputes over un-demarcated stretches, enclaves and adversely-possessed land.
By inking the protocol, Delhi and Dhaka agreed to swap 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladesh enclaves in India, and preserve status quo on the adversely possessed swathes of land.
To ratify the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement, along with the protocol signed last year, the Indian government needs to amend the country's Constitution.
A meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Singh on Jan 24 last was supposed to consider for approval a draft Constitution Amendment Bill. But the Cabinet deferred a decision on the draft Bill, as the coalition government led by the Indian National Congress wanted to hold "wider consultations" with other political parties on the issue.
Although Banerjee's objections forced New Delhi to put the proposed deal on Teesta on hold, the state government of West Bengal sent to the central government of India a written consent on the protocol to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement before it was signed in Dhaka. However, souring relation between Congress and its ally Trinamool Congress – headed by Banerjee – apparently prompted Singh to tread cautiously on the ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement to avoid yet another confrontation with the West Bengal chief minister.
Singh's government would need two-thirds majority in both the Houses of Indian parliament to get the Constitution Amendment Bill passed. Even if the Congress-led government manages to get it passed in Lok Sabha with the help of its coalition partners and other friendly parties, the going may be difficult in the upper house, Rajya Sabha, without the support of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which had earlier supported protests against the protocol to the land boundary agreement in the northeastern Indian state of Assam.
Indian prime minister had on Friday told Shahara that New Delhi was trying to resolve the impasse over the deal on Teesta.
Shahara reached New Delhi on Thursday to hold the annual home minister level talks with her Indian counterpart P Chidambaram. The two home ministers met on Friday.
The assurance came during a meeting of the home minister with Indian finance minister Pranab Mukherjee at his office in New Delhi on Saturday.
Shahara later told journalists that Mukherjee had also assured her that the Indian government would take necessary steps for inking of the interim agreement with Bangladesh on sharing of the Teesta river water.
On behalf of her government, the home minister also extended an invitation to Mukherjee to visit Bangladesh, which the Indian finance minister accepted. The dates of his visit would be worked upon later, she added.
Shahara, who is on a visit to India since Thursday, visited Ajmer Sharif on Saturday. She returned to Delhi in the evening and met Mukherjee.
She, however, declined to comment on West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's reservations on the proposed India-Bangladesh agreement on Teesta water sharing.
"I will not make any comment (on Banerjee's views on the deal on Teesta). He (Mukherjee) is a veteran politician and the leader of House. He has assured me that the Indian government would take necessary steps towards inking the agreement," she told the waiting journalists after her meeting with the Indian finance minister.
Mukherjee is the leader of House of Indian parliament's lower chamber, Lok Sabha.
Shahara said she had a very cordial meeting with Mukherjee.
Although India signed a land boundary agreement (better known as Indira-Mujib pact) with Bangladesh in 1974, the deal was not ratified by New Delhi.
During Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh on Sep 6-7 last, Dhaka and New Delhi signed a protocol to the 1974 agreement to resolve the outstanding disputes over un-demarcated stretches, enclaves and adversely-possessed land.
By inking the protocol, Delhi and Dhaka agreed to swap 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladesh enclaves in India, and preserve status quo on the adversely possessed swathes of land.
To ratify the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement, along with the protocol signed last year, the Indian government needs to amend the country's Constitution.
A meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Singh on Jan 24 last was supposed to consider for approval a draft Constitution Amendment Bill. But the Cabinet deferred a decision on the draft Bill, as the coalition government led by the Indian National Congress wanted to hold "wider consultations" with other political parties on the issue.
Although Banerjee's objections forced New Delhi to put the proposed deal on Teesta on hold, the state government of West Bengal sent to the central government of India a written consent on the protocol to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement before it was signed in Dhaka. However, souring relation between Congress and its ally Trinamool Congress – headed by Banerjee – apparently prompted Singh to tread cautiously on the ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement to avoid yet another confrontation with the West Bengal chief minister.
Singh's government would need two-thirds majority in both the Houses of Indian parliament to get the Constitution Amendment Bill passed. Even if the Congress-led government manages to get it passed in Lok Sabha with the help of its coalition partners and other friendly parties, the going may be difficult in the upper house, Rajya Sabha, without the support of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which had earlier supported protests against the protocol to the land boundary agreement in the northeastern Indian state of Assam.
Indian prime minister had on Friday told Shahara that New Delhi was trying to resolve the impasse over the deal on Teesta.
Shahara reached New Delhi on Thursday to hold the annual home minister level talks with her Indian counterpart P Chidambaram. The two home ministers met on Friday.
No comments:
Post a Comment