Rajya Sabha on Wednesday unanimously passed a historic bill to operationalise the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh that provides for exchange of territories to settle the 41-year border issue.
The Constitution 119th amendment bill, which will allow the operationalisation of the 1974 India-Bangladesh land boundary agreement, was passed with full support from 181 members. The bill will be taken up by Lok Sabha on Thursday.
"This is an historic situation. We are going to implement the agreement after 41 years. I am happy that everyone supported the bill," said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj while moving the bill for passage.
Talking about the Bharatiya Janata Party's opposition to the measure during the United Progressive Alliance's tenure, she said, "Earlier we had opposed it. We were told to include Assam, which has been done."
Contending that the agreement will benefit both countries, she said the Union home ministry will be the nodal ministry for implementing it.
"We are aware of the complexities involved in implementation of the agreement. The earlier we implement (the agreement), sooner we reap the benefits," she said.
The bill aims at giving effect to the acquiring of territories by India and transfer of territories to Bangladesh through retaining of adverse possession and exchange of enclaves in pursuance of the agreement of 1974.
The territories in Assam, West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya come under the ambit of the bill.
Noting that the government will ensure Indians moving to Bangladesh would enjoy "dignified life", she said there would not be any "demographic change or exchange" and people from either side can avail citizenship if they wish.
Allaying fears of some members that the agreement may lead to shrinking of borders, Swaraj said, "This agreement will not shrink our borders. We will have an advantage of 500 acres. Though 10,000 acres will go to them, it is just notional and those enclaves are deep."
As far as Assam is concerned, India will be getting 470 acres of land from the neighbouring country, while 268 acres would go to Bangladesh, she added.
The bill would require ratification of at least 50 per cent of the state legislatures before it comes into effect.
It also provides that the central government may, by notification in the official gazette, appoint the date for acquisition and transfer of territories.
Swaraj said in Assam, the BJP and Asom Gana Parishad were already against the inclusion of the state's areas and there was also an echo of protest by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to it.
"I told the prime minister that we should bring a bill keeping Assam out of it for the time being. The prime minister also agreed. I also gave a note in the Cabinet in this regard. Then I talked to opposition parties -- Mamata Banerjee, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, Deputy Leader of Congress Anand Sharma.
"Azad and Sharma, however told me that the bill should be exactly as per the protocol signed by the UPA government in 2011 and that Assam must be included in the agreement," the external affairs minister said.
In the meanwhile, Swaraj said, the Assam chief minister wrote to her and the prime minister to say that the bill could be brought including Assam.
"Then I again talked to the prime minister and told him about the sentiments of the house. The prime minister said that the sentiment of the Parliament is the sentiment of the people and asked me to withdraw the amendment that I have moved in the cabinet," she said.
"I want to tell Azad and Sharma that the bill is same what had come before the house on December 18, 2013," she said.
In a jocular vein, she said there have been only four changes in the bill in which the name of external affairs is now Sushma Swaraj in place of Salman Khurshid and the year of bill is 2015 in place of 2013.
Swaraj hoped that after the passage of the bill, India's relationship with Bangladesh will go back to the level of what existed in 1971 after the creation of the new nation.
"This will be such a big symbol. Everyone will get message that India wants have to good relationship with all neighbours," she said.
Naresh Agrawal (Samajwadi Party), in a tongue-and-cheek remark, told Swaraj that she is bringing up bills of UPA even as her party has got the mandate against the UPA.
Karan Singh (Congress) said that with this agreement, demarcation of the boundary with Bangladesh will happen, which is not the case with China and Pakistan.
