Govt legitimising Bangladeshi encroachment of Indian land: BJP

NEW DELHI: BJP today expressed concern over the India-Bangladesh land boundary agreement during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka last month alleging it amounted to legitimising transfer of land "illegally occupied" by Bangaldesh and sought a discussion on it in Parliament.

The BJP national executive discussed the issue and passed a resolution against the agreement saying the Centre has "legitimised Bangladeshi encroachment of Indian territory".

"There should be no transfer of Indian territory to Bangladesh without all facts being placed on the table of Parliament and a proper discussion and ratification of this agreement be got done by it," said senior BJP leader Chandan Mitra.

He said BJP had opposed the agreement with Bangladesh and has demanded in its resolution that the 1,500-odd survey maps that were exchanged between Bangladesh and India be made public.

"The party has also demanded that all (strip) maps be placed in public domain and a discussion be held in the next session of Parliament and take the advice of Parliament before deciding on the issue," he added.

The BJP leader charged that "in the name of rationalising the borders, local interests have been severely compromised with. The local population has been kept in the dark and people of the area are very disturbed."