From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Spearheading continued agitation against illegal migration from Bangladesh to Assam, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) on Monday burnt copies of the 129th Constitution Amendment Bill in all district headquarters across Assam to register its opposition to the India-Bangladesh land swap deal.
If the Bill becomes an Act, Indian will be able to transfer its 111 civilian enclaves on Bangladesh side of the border to Bangladesh. Similarly, Bangladesh will have to transfer 51 Bangladeshi civilian enclaves that are located on Indian side of the border.
The land swap deal was signed between Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina on September 6 last year during Dr Singh’s visit to the neighbouring country.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi also accompanied the PM during that trip to Bangladesh as Assam has a long border with Bangladesh.
“People of Assam have not given the right to chief minister Tarun Gogoi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to transfer Assam’s land to Bangladesh,” AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharrya said. The AASU leader claimed that it was only Assam’s land, not any Bangladesh land, the land swap pact dealt with.
“Instead of signing the land swap deal, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and chief minister Tarun Gogoi should have tried to sign a pact with Bangladesh so that the neighbouring country takes back all Bangladeshis residing illegally in Assam,” the AASU leader said.
On the other hand the government claims that the India-Bangladesh land deal, if materialised, would settle all disputes related to the border with Bangladesh.
There are as many as 25 points along the 4,156-km boundary, of which India adversely possesses 1,165.49 acres of Bangladesh land, while Bangladesh possesses 1,880.81 acres on the Indian side.
According to data available, Bangladesh is in adverse possession of 665 acres of land in the Assam sector. This includes about 160 acres in Dhubri district, and two plots of 360 acres and 145 acres in Karimganj district. The AASU criticized the government of India for failing to seal the India Bangladesh border completely in the last 28 years since signing of Assam Accord on August 15, 1985 to check infiltration across the county. “The same India government which could seal India-Pakistan border in just two years despite the rough terrain, can’t do the same with the border with Bangladesh, why ?” the AASU leader asked.
