GUWAHATI, Oct 18 � The All Assam Students� Union (AASU) and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) have expressed shock at the change of stand of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the land swap deal with Bangladesh and asserted that they would never allow handing over of Assam�s land to the neighbouring country.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya said that the AASU would never allow handing over of Assam�s land to Bangladesh. The Government of India should take effective steps to complete the fencing along the international border without handing over Assam�s land to Bangladesh.
Bhattacharya said that the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi betrayed the people of Assam by deciding to hand over the State�s land to Bangladesh without even taking the people into confidence. He pointed out that during that time, the state unit of the BJP had launched an agitation against the land swap deal, while AGP MP Birendra Prasad Baishya took strong action to prevent tabling of the Bill in the Parliament by the then UPA Government. During that time, the BJP MPs in the Parliament kept quiet and assured that they would oppose the Bill in the Select Committee.
The AASU adviser said the people of Assam are now shocked to hear that the BJP-led NDA Government would bring the Bill in the winter session of the Parliament. The AASU called upon the Members of Parliament of the BJP from Assam to make their stand public on the issue.
AGP president Atul Bora also asserted that the regional party would never allow handing over of the State�s land to Bangladesh. �When the Congress tried to hand over Assam�s land to Bangladesh, the AGP strongly opposed the same both inside and outside the Parliament. We will continue to oppose any such move by the Government of India,� he asserted.
Bora said the AGP was surprised at the U-turn of the BJP on the issue. He warned that the people of the State would not tolerate such betrayal by the BJP, which had opposed the land swap deal when it was signed.
GUWAHATI, Oct 18 � The All Assam Students� Union (AASU) and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) have expressed shock at the change of stand of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the land swap deal with Bangladesh and asserted that they would never allow handing over of Assam�s land to the neighbouring country.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, AASU adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya said that the AASU would never allow handing over of Assam�s land to Bangladesh. The Government of India should take effective steps to complete the fencing along the international border without handing over Assam�s land to Bangladesh.
Bhattacharya said that the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi betrayed the people of Assam by deciding to hand over the State�s land to Bangladesh without even taking the people into confidence. He pointed out that during that time, the state unit of the BJP had launched an agitation against the land swap deal, while AGP MP Birendra Prasad Baishya took strong action to prevent tabling of the Bill in the Parliament by the then UPA Government. During that time, the BJP MPs in the Parliament kept quiet and assured that they would oppose the Bill in the Select Committee.
The AASU adviser said the people of Assam are now shocked to hear that the BJP-led NDA Government would bring the Bill in the winter session of the Parliament. The AASU called upon the Members of Parliament of the BJP from Assam to make their stand public on the issue.
AGP president Atul Bora also asserted that the regional party would never allow handing over of the State�s land to Bangladesh. �When the Congress tried to hand over Assam�s land to Bangladesh, the AGP strongly opposed the same both inside and outside the Parliament. We will continue to oppose any such move by the Government of India,� he asserted.
Bora said the AGP was surprised at the U-turn of the BJP on the issue. He warned that the people of the State would not tolerate such betrayal by the BJP, which had opposed the land swap deal when it was signed.
