Expedite Land Boundary Agreement bill: Shashi Tharoor

NEW DELHI: A Congress member in Lok Sabha today asked the government to expedite introduction of a bill to give effect to the Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh and asked it to explain the delay in this regard.

"The Parliamentary Standing Committee unanimously cleared the 119th Constitution (Amendment) Bill with a lot of painstaking efforts. Several parties, which were previously opposed to it, came around to support it," Shashi Tharoor (Congress) said during Zero Hour.

While the report was tabled quite some time back, "yet there is no action on the matter. I have to demand that the government should explain to the House" why it has delayed bringing the bill, the Congress member said. "The Bangladesh President is in India.

Why are you not proceeding in this matter," he said. Tharoor, who was supported by CPI(M) member Mohammad Salim, said the agreement was aimed at putting an end to a serious anomaly plaguing the two countries since Partition in 1947.

Salim also wanted to know why the government was not bringing the legislation for passage in Parliament. Responding to the two members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the matter has been taken note of and would be conveyed to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who "will respond to it when she finds it convenient."