Parliament has done well to ratify the land boundary agreement with Bangladesh. This will help align the border between the two countries better by letting both countries absorb enclaves of “adverse possession” that happen to be on their side of the boundary.
The agreement dates back to 1974 and the ratification deal was presented to Parliament by the Manmohan Singh government in 2011. But the Bharatiya Janata Party, then in Opposition, did not offer it support. The apprehension raised was that India would “cede” territory to another country. At the subliminal level, the saffron party was suggesting that India would lose some territory to a Muslim country.
Fortunately, as the country’s current ruling party, the BJP has overcome this argument, which was of its own making. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was able to grasp the strategic significance of friendly ties with Dhaka. During a visit to Assam late last year, he spoke in language that would be intelligible to a party such as the BJP. He said ratifying the land boundary deal would help end the problem of “Bangladeshi infiltration”.
In spite of this, the government tried to keep Assam out of the agreement because the state BJP was not in favour. Besides Assam, the enclaves of adverse possession lie in West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya. When Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi insisted on his state’s inclusion, the BJP had no choice but to accept.
Otherwise, the measure would not have cleared the Rajya Sabha. Consequently, when external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj moved for the passage of the measure in Parliament, she was upfront saying that this was exactly the bill that had been moved by the United Progressive Alliance government.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has welcomed the passage of the Constitution amendment bill. With this long pending business out of the way, India should seize the momentum to tie up the Teesta waters accord with Dhaka.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had played truant in 2011, presumably because she had electoral compulsions in relation to North Bengal districts at the time. Dozens of small and big rivers criss-cross the India-Bangladesh terrain. If the two sides can work out an arrangement on the sharing of river waters it can generate goodwill.
With the land boundary aligned and an accord on river waters, India can access parts of its own territories through Bangladesh more easily, and contribute to water management in Bangladesh by helping construct dams and hydel facilities. India’s “Look East” policy will receive a connectivity boost if infrastructure is aligned. Bangladeshi and Burmese gas resources can also be accessed. A friendly Bangladesh in the east is an important security factor and can act as a bulwark against terrorism.
