The BJP on Monday dismissed media reports about an agreement with the Government on land Boundary Agreement and claimed it still had strong reservations about the legislation. Government plans to introduce the Bill in the forthcoming session.
Top BJP leaders denied the party had given any assurance or reached any understanding with Bangladesh during recent meetings of its Foreign Minister Dipu Moni on the exchange of enclaves. The lBA envisages exchange of 161 enclaves adversely held by India and Bangladesh in each other’s territories and alterations of boundaries between the two countries in some places.
“There was no discussion with us by the government on this issue,” leader of Opposition in the lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said, adding that the party will discuss the issue in a meeting of BJP’s Parliamentary Party executive and later with NDA floor leaders on December 4. The BJP sources said the party still continues to nurture serious reservations on the issue, especially with general elections just months away. The main Opposition also maintains Government will have to explain how it can alter the country’s boundary as after 1973 verdict of the Supreme Court in the Keshavanand Bharti case the basic structure of the Constitution cannot be changed. This includes the definition of the country’s boundary, it said.
Party sources said it is likely to prevent passage of the proposed legislation. Being a Constitutional Bill, it cannot be cleared without BJP’s support as it will require the nod of two-thirds of those members present and voting and a minimum of 50 per cent of the members being present in both Houses.