LBA: Indian think-tank lambasts MPs

One of India's top think-tanks has come down hard on political parties opposing the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh.

India correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 20 Dec 2013, 04:18 AM
Updated : 20 Dec 2013, 04:35 AM

In a policy brief released this week, the Delhi Policy Group (DPG) questioned whether those who were opposing this agreement had India's national interest in mind.

The DPG's director general Radha Kumar, who has been one of leading government mediators during negotiations with Kashmiri separatist groups, said: "Do they (who oppose the agreement) have good reason or are they neglecting the national interest?".

The policy brief listed the positives for pushing through this agreement in the Indian parliament.

-- "The LBA will benefit both India and Bangladesh. By indefinitely delaying its implementation, MPs neglect the national interest;

-- Arguments against the Protocol are specious: the Basic Structure doctrine does not apply and the loss of land is notional: in actual fact India will gain land;

--- Sheikh Hasina’s government has gone out of its way to improve relations with India: most importantly, it has extradited some of India’s Most Wanted and cracked down on insurgent and/or terrorist sanctuaries;

--- India risks losing these gains given Bangladesh goes to elections in early 2014: if we cannot ratify an agreement with an ally who has shown good faith time and again, what message do we send to her chief opponent, Khaleda Zia, who is far less friendly to India? "

Indian foreign minister Salman Khurshid tabled this week the 119th constitutional amendment bill to formalise the Indo-Bangladesh land boundary agreement in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House).

It was tabled on the last day of the winter session of the parliament.

Most except the Congress and the Left parties oppose the bill.

While the Asom Gana Parishad and the Trinamul Congress argued it would go against the interests of Assam and West Bengal states, the likes of BJP said the bill should have been placed after discussions.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee furiously reacted to the tabling of the bill, saying it was 'shameless and unfortunate' of the ruling Congress to do so.