Modi adopting double standard of infiltration problem, says Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of adopting 'double standard' for narrow political gains.

Gogoi, in a press conference on Monday, said Modi, who had lectured at length before the parliamentary election on expelling all Bangladeshi infiltrators now steers clear of the subject.

"He had promised ‘Ache Din’ (good days) when seeking votes, but is not doing anything to usher them in," he said.

The chief minister said that his Congress government was trying to solve the infiltration problem by updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Referring to the BJP's former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Gogoi said that Vajpayee wanted to issue work permits to Bangladeshi infiltrators but he was against it.

The chief minister said that they had have not been able to expel Bangladeshi infiltrators despite taking several measures, and giving work permits would have worsened the situation.

Criticising the Modi government over the Indo-Bangladesh land swap deal, Gogoi said that by proposing to keep Assam out of it, the BJP government had betrayed its “double standard".

Gogoi pointed out that the prime minister had said last year that the agreement was good for Assam and asked why the state excluded now.

“You have one stand before the poll and another after,” he added.

The Centre should have consulted the state before proposing any change to the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA), popularly known as land swap deal, the senior Congress leader said.

He said that although Modi harps on cooperative federalism, the CM of a state linked to the issue had not been consulted.

He said the Congress had all along maintained that the deal was good for Assam and would help stop infiltration from Bangladesh.

Earlier, at a party workers' rally in Guwahati on Nov 30 last year, Modi had said that in view of Assam’s welfare, the Centre would go ahead with the LBA with Bangladesh for a permanent solution to the infiltration problem.

Modi had said that was aware of Assam's problems and that therefore would be no compromise with Assam's security.

He had said he was aware of the sentiments of the Assamese people regarding the land swap deal. It had to be done for a permanent solution.

He had also assured the people the government would move ahead because of India and Assam's welfare.

He had then said that Assam would gain in long term even if it looked like losing in short term.

But after that organisations like All Assam Student Union started intense protest across the state, citing sentiments of the Assamese people with the deal.

With the 2016 Assembly elections around the corner, the State BJP also warned its Central leadership about the potential upheaval over the deal.

Under such circumstances, New Delhi also decided to connect the issue of land swap under LBA with Bangladesh to Assam's sentiment and proposed to keep Assam at present out of the preview of the LBA, making the deal with the other states instead.

With the BJP aspiring to come to power in Assembly polls due early next year, the party now wants to exclude Assam due to sensitivities in the state.

The Assam government has maintained that the provisions of the protocol are an integral part of the 1974 agreement between India and Bangladesh.

As agreed in the protocol, the Radcliffe Line demarcating India-Bangladesh border in the Assam sector namely, Lathitilla -Dumabari sector in Karimganj district, Kalabari (Boroibari) area in Dhubri district and the Pallathal area in Karimganj district of Assam will be re-drawn.

Approximately 714 acres of land in Lathitilla area will formally become part of Assam in India and 193.85 acres of land in Kalabari (Boroibari) and 74.55 acres in Pallathal will formally go to Bangladesh as a result of the re-demarcation proposed in the LBA.

However, these 268.40 acres of land are already under adverse possession of Bangladesh.

If the deal happens, India (Assam) will formally get a net land area of 445.6 acres with reference to the Radcliffe Line.