NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet has cleared the text for the constitutional amendment to the India-Bangladesh land boundary agreement (LBA). The move is a step forward as the UPA government has been struggling to ink the pact with Bangladesh, which will result in solving one of the most vexed border problems New Delhi has with its neighbours.
Foreign minister Salman Khurshid will be in Dhaka over the weekend to start the joint consultative committee meeting with his counterpart, Dipu Moni. Despite the lack of progress on key pacts, India has maintained a steady stream of high-level interaction with Bangladesh. President Pranab Mukherjee will make Bangladesh his first port of call early March.
Now, the bill will be piloted through the parliamentary affairs ministry before being slotted for tabling in Parliament. Sources said the government was determined to introduce the bill during the Budget session. Given the legislative preoccupations of UPA, this seems ambitious. But government sources said they were ready with the amendment, which, when passed, would activate the LBA.
In all the clamour about the Teesta water-sharing pact that Bangladesh has been asking for, it is often forgotten that the agreement on the land boundary far outstrips it in importance. LBA is the outcome of elaborate surveys and negotiations between the two countries.
Over the past few months, government sources said they had consulted with all political stakeholders, including the BJP, whose national leadership has objected to changing India's boundaries. But local BJP leaders have agreed to the agreement, which has diluted the political opposition. Government sources said they expect this bill to be passed during the forthcoming Budget session.
Cabinet clears text for amendment to Indo-Bangla land boundary pact
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Cabinet clears text for amendment to Indo-Bangla land boundary pact
