Rajya Sabha passes bill on exchange of territories with Bangladesh

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha unanimously passed the constitutional amendment bill on the land boundary agreement over swapping of enclaves with Bangladesh, as all parties set aside their differences over issues like swapping of enclaves in Assam and voted in favour of the bill that had been pending since the UPA regime.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s suave diplomatic skills were on full display as she gave credit to the previous Manmohan Singh government for initiating this bill and deftly reasoned why BJP had earlier opposed the bill.

Swaraj admitted the bill which she was moving for discussion and passage is the same as the one moved by the Congress-led UPA government on December 18, 2013. She also mentioned the protocol regarding exchange of territory that was signed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2011.