External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Wednesday said he would like to know why certain political parties are opposing the Bangladesh Land Demarcation Bill. The Bangladesh Land Demarcation Bill provides for exchange of territories between India and Bangladesh and demarcation of the border as per the 1974 agreement between late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her Bangaldesh counterpart. “Well I am not parliamentary affairs minister. I am not sure how people are looking at it. I think it’s the content and the reasoning that is important. I would like to know the reasons for opposing this bill,” Khurshid on the bill which caused huge uproar in the Parliament. “For the past few sessions I have been requested not to bring this bill. We want to carry everyone aboard, so we had agreed. But we were delaying it far beyond the expectations the people had that we won’t deliver on this issue,” he said. “We have only introduced the bill. It will now go to the standing committee and if it does, the people who have any objection to the bill can bring it there. That is the right parliamentary procedure,” he added. “This is a constitutional amendment, which was necessitated by an agreement between Sheik Mujhibur Rehman and late Indira Gandhi. We cannot question an agreement signed by great leaders. Bangladesh has given to us everything that you expect from a neighboring country. They have been very accommodative of India’s security interest in the last few years,” he said. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “We strictly condemn the way this bill was introduced in Parliament. It is the job of the government to hold discussions in Parliament. Through discussions, we find ways to address the issues. When most people are protesting against a bill which will have an impact on West Bengal and Assam, then you cannot forcibly introduce such a bill.” It is very unfortunate the way this bill was introduced in Parliament. We will definitely put forward our grievances on this issue,” he said on Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley who was denied of permission to protest against the bill. Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O’Brien said, “This is shameless. This bill was introduced via back door. We had told the Congress long ago, not to introduce such a bill. All parties had specifically told them not to do this. We did what we could. There was an ugly scene in the Rajya Sabha. We tore the Bill as part of the protest” “Will all due respect but the vice chairman of the Rajya Sabha, in spite of giving our party all assurances that he would not introduce this bill, needs to examine his conscience tonight,” he added. (ANI)
