Guwahati, Dec. 1: Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of changing his stand on the India-Bangladesh land swap deal, a day after the latter hinted at backing the deal which would benefit Assam in the long run.
Asserting Modi’s two-day visit to Assam has belied the expectations of people who voted for BJP in the hope of acche din, the three-time chief minister said, “People are now beginning to doubt his commitment. He had criticised us for backing the land swap deal with Bangladesh for political gain. But what he said yesterday is what we have been saying before and after signing the deal, that it will benefit Assam. They (BJP) have one view while in Opposition and another when in power. They are now also supporting the goods and services tax,” Gogoi said, reminding how Modi had opposed the tax when he was the Gujarat chief minister.
The India-Bangladesh land swap deal was signed in 2011 between the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bangladesh Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina. The BJP, AGP, KMSS and AASU had opposed it because Assam would “lose” land but the ruling Congress had backed the deal. “Though these lands are in the maps of both countries, neither has control over it. There is no question of losing land in adverse possession. The deal would help Assam fence off the India-Bangladesh international border,” Gogoi had said.
During his first visit to the Northeast after becoming Prime Minister, Modi had yesterday dwelt on the land swap deal and said, “Whatever we do may appear to be a loss in the short term but ultimately will do things which will only benefit Assam in the long run.”
Questioning what Modi has done to usher in acche din till now, Gogoi claimed, “There is no movement on our plea for financial assistance for welfare of poor people (see chart). The Centre has extended assistance to disaster-hit Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh but nothing to help our flood-affected. He talks about SMART police but where is the plan to make them smart?” The AGP, too, went after Modi on the land swap deal, warning of launching a statewide protest if the amendment bill is tabled in Parliament.
AGP general secretary Kamala Kanta Kalita said Modi, who had vociferously opposed the deal while campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls, had altered his stand after assuming power. “It has exposed the BJP’s double-faced nature. We will hold the seven BJP MPs accountable if the deal is ratified by Parliament. The state BJP, too, should make its stand clear on the deal,” Kalita said, recalling how the state BJP had called a bandh to protest the deal when UPA II was in power.
Akhil Gogoi, president of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, a peasants’ rights body, said, “Instead of opposing Modi’s stance, state BJP leaders looked on as mute spectators. Now what will they tell the people of Assam?” He also opposed Modi’s 100 per cent FDI in railways and privatisation of railway stations. Modi’s three-day visit to the Northeast ended this afternoon.
Members of Asom Yuba Parishad, the youth wing of AGP, burnt Modi’s effigy here.
Assam BJP spokesman Shiladitya Dev said, “Modi, instead of making false promises, had stated the bitter truth. The land swap deal was signed between India and Bangladesh during the UPA II government. We had protested it since the deal was signed without taking the people of Assam into confidence. But since it is an agreement between two countries, it has international implications and can’t be scrapped straightaway,” he said.
“We should appreciate the Prime Minister’s statement that in lieu of implementing the agreement, he will ensure there is no illegal infiltration from Bangladesh and the entire border fenced, which will solve the influx issue,” he added.
WHAT GOGOI ALLEGED
Dispur’s plea for additional funds under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) after Goalpara and Boko floods to cope with extensive damage yet to be met lMNREGA funds for Assam slashed from Rs 1100 crore to Rs 520 crore
Computerisation rider delaying funding under Food Security Act in Assam
Assam plea for release of Rs 12000 crore from the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources yet to be met
No movement on proposal for North East Water Resources Authority to help mitigate flood and erosion lNo concrete solution offered by the Prime Minister to problems afflicting the region during meeting with chief ministers in Guwahati
WHAT MODI SAID DURING VISIT
Rs 28,000 crore to boost railway connectivity in Northeast; also provide funding for improving power transmission and mobile connectivity
Around 10,000 students and 500 college teachers from Northeast to benefit from central schemes lModern garment manufacturing centres in all northeastern states
Sports University for Manipur, apart from six new agriculture colleges in the region
Discussion on improvement in connectivity for development of Northeast during the ASEAN-India Summit and East Asia Summit
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