Assam’s regional political party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on Wednesday called a 10-hour Assam bandh to protest against the Central Government’s decision to include Assam in the Indo-Bangladesh land swap deal. The bandh will be effective from 6 am on Thursday, said AGP general secretary Durga Das Boro. “The BJP is anti-Assam and it has started betraying the people of the State even before it completed one year in office,” said Boro, while adding that the saffron party is one step ahead of the Congress when it comes to betraying Assam.
The party warned the BJP of launching series of agitation programmes across the State. It may be mentioned that the BJP had opposed the protocol of the land swap deal between India and Bangladesh, which was signed by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to Bangladesh in 2011. However, after forming the Government at the Centre, the party made a U-turn and said the Government would go ahead with the land swap deal.
However, due to protests by several organisations, the BJP had recently announced that it would exclude the portion of Assam while carrying out the land swap deal. On Tuesday, the party again decided to include the portion of Assam in the agreement. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, however, slammed the BJP for changing its decision several times. Gogoi, however, thanked the Prime Minister for re-inclusion of Assam in the protocol signed between the Government of India and the Government of Bangladesh.
Gogoi said the re-inclusion of Assam as in the original protocol signed on September 6, 2011 would not only serve national and State interests but also help in finding a permanent solution to the long standing India-Bangladesh border dispute in the Assam sector. “It would also facilitate erection of fencing in undemarcated areas and help prevent illegal infiltration of foreigners, subversive elements and smuggling by sealing the porous border,” said the Chief Minister. According to the Assam Government, the State stand to gain about 714 acres of land, which is in adverse possession of Bangladesh, due to the decision while Bangladesh will get only 268 acres of land, which is in adverse possession of India.