Cabinet nod to include Assam in border pact

The Cabinet on Tuesday cleared a bill to include territories within Assam in the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh, which also involves territories in West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya.

The Bill is likely to come up in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

P a rl i a m e n t a r y a f f a i r s Venkaiah Naidu said, “In the larger national interest, we have decided to include Assam in the Land Boundary Agreement bill.”

The Constitutional Amendment Bill was cleared after the BJP brass met RSS joint general secretary Krishna Gopal on the issue. The meeting is believed to have given a green signal to include Assam in the Bill.

The bill brought by the UPA government included swapping of enclaves in Assam along with West Bengal and Tripura with Bangladesh. The Congress argument was that if the bill is amended and Assam is excluded, then it should be referred to a parliamentary panel for further examination.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi had himself accompanied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Dhaka in 2011 where the two nations decided to quickly implement the LBA.

The BJP had however opposed that Bill in 2013. However, the Congress wants Assam included, and its leaders argue that the state would actually gain land from this agreement.

Congress support is crucial for the government as this Bill will be a constitutional amendment Bill requiring a two-thirds majority in each House to pass.