Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday strongly criticised the Centre for keeping the State in the dark while deciding to exclude it by bringing in an amendment to the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA).
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr.Gogoi expressed surprise at the decision of the Union government not to include clauses relating to Assam in the protocol ratified by the Parliament without any consultation with the State government.
“We are completely in the dark about the reasons behind this turnaround and how the interest of the people of Assam are going to be protected by the exclusion of the clauses relating to Assam during the process of ratification by the Parliament,” the Chief Minister said.
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An official release quoting Mr.Gogoi said the decision was also “against the principles of cooperative federalism which you (Modi) have been advocating”.
Mr.Gogoi requested Mr.Modi to include Assam in the protocol between the Centre and the Government of Bangladesh, signed on September 6, 2011.
The Chief Minister also pointed out that the provisions of the protocol were integral part of the 1974 agreement between India and Bangladesh. “As a result of the protocol, the Radcliff Line demarcating India-Bangladesh border in the Assam sector namely, Lathitilla-Dumabari sector in Karimganj district, Kalabari (Boroibari) area in Dhubri district and the Pallathal area in Karimganj district of Assam will be re-drawn as agreed to in the protocol,” he said. - PTI
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