By IANS,
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday said he is hopeful that parliament will endorse the amendment to a land boundary agreement with Bangladesh as it will ensure peace on the border and remove uncertainties.
“This house (Rajya Sabha) and the other house (Lok Sabha) will have the wisdom to endorse the land boundary agreement which I signed along with the prime minister of Bangladesh,” Manmohan Singh said told the upper house of parliament.
“This is an agreement which will ensure peace and tranquillity on the border and remove uncertainties. And I’m convinced this is an agreement in the interest of both countries. I sincerely hope when we bring this bill, parliament will have the wisdom to approve this bill,” he said.
The cabinet last month cleared the bill to amend the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement, 1974, and the protocol of 2011.
An additional protocol for the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement, inked during Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in 2011, requires a constitutional amendment for ratification as they involve exchange of land in 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves on Indian soil.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has termed it as flawed and declared that the government cannot bank on its support when the Constitution Amendment Bill to facilitate implementation of the pact comes up in parliament during the budget session.
Bangladesh has already ratified the pact. Indian enclaves in Bangladesh are spread over 17,149 acres, while Bangladeshi enclaves in India are located on 7,110 acres.