Khurshid seeks TMC support on India-Bangla border deal

November 25, 2012
SalmanKhurshid

New Delhi, November 25: Notwithstanding the bitterness between the Congress and its estranged ally Trinamool Congress, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has reached out to Mamata Banerjee’s party to seek its support on a proposed bill to amend the Constitution for ratification of a boundary deal between India and Bangladesh.

Though Banerjee and her government in West Bengal are believed to have reservations over the additional protocol that New Delhi and Dhaka last year agreed to add to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement, Khurshid offered to arrange a briefing by the Ministry of External Affairs for the Trinamool Congress MPs in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government also sought help from the Bharatiya Janata Party for the passage of the proposed bill for amendment of the Constitution by both Houses of Parliament. But the principal opposition party is likely to oppose the ratification of the deal since it had earlier joined the clamour against it in Assam, which, like West Bengal, also has a stretch of the 4,096.70 km-long India-Bangladesh border.

The External Affairs Minister wrote to the chairman of the Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Group, Mukul Roy, pointing out that the implementation of the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement and its additional protocol would “result in better management and coordination of the border and strengthening” India’s efforts to deal with smuggling and other crimes across the country’s border with Bangladesh.

Khurshid reminded Roy that the Centre obtained “written concurrence of the state governments concerned” before signing the additional protocol to Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh.

The protocol was signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka on September 6 and 7 last year. It seeks to resolve pending disputes on un-demarcated stretches, facilitate exchange of 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh with 51 Bangladesh enclaves in India and preserve status quo on territories in adversely possessed land.

“Since the proposal of exchange of enclaves and redrawing of boundary involves transfer of territories, it requires an Amendment to the Constitution,” wrote Khurshid.

Sources told Deccan Herald that the government was keen to introduce the bill to amend the Constitution in Parliament soon, since New Delhi wanted to send out a message to Dhaka that Singh’s Government was committed to ratifying both the 1974 deal and its additional protocol.

Singh is understood to have taken up the issue with BJP top brass L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley during the dinner he hosted for them last Thursday. Sources, however, said that the BJP troika had refused to commit the party’s support to the government for passage of the bill.

Troubled ties

Trinamool Congress’ troubled ties with Congress worsened after Banerjee pulled out of the prime minister’s entourage to Dhaka in September 2011, because she had reservations over the proposed India-Bangladesh agreement for sharing of the water of common river Teesta. New Delhi put the deal on Teesta on the backburner, but signed the protocol to the Land Boundary Agreement with Dhaka during the prime minister’s visit to Bangladesh. The chief ministers of northeastern states having stretches of India-Bangladesh border accompanied Singh.

The deal however triggered protests from social organisations and political parties in Assam and Meghalaya, as it was alleged that the new protocol added to the boundary deal would make the States lose territories to Bangladesh.

The government needs two-third majority in both the Houses to get any constitutional amendment bill passed and the UPA at present does not have the support of enough MPs.


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Agencies
May 9,2020

New Delhi, May 9: Home Minister Amit Shah today tweeted to say he is healthy and not suffering from any disease, dismissing recent rumours on social media about his health. "I want to make it clear that I am completely healthy and do not suffer from any disease," the Home Minister wrote.

The 55-year-old home minister said for the last few days, some people on social media have been spreading rumours about his health. "In fact, many have tweeted even wishing for my death," he said.

मेरे स्वास्थ्य की चिंता करने वाले सभी लोगों को मेरा संदेश। pic.twitter.com/F72Xtoqmg9

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 9, 2020
Mr Shah said with the country fighting the coronavirus pandemic, that has affected nearly 40,000 people and killed more than 1,900, he did not pay attention to these rumours as he was busy performing his duties as the home minister. He said he was clarifying today because lakhs of BJP workers have expressed concern over the last two days.

The Home Minister, taking a jibe at those spreading rumours, said such speculation about his health will only make him stronger. "I request people to stop indulging in such talks and let me do my work, they should also go about their business," he added.

Amit Shah thanked well-wishers and workers of the BJP for enquiring about his health. He signed off by saying he has no hatred towards those who spread the rumours.

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News Network
July 12,2020

Hyderabad, Jul 12: Hyderabad MP and All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday condemned the demolition of a mosque and a temple inside the Secretariat building. He demanded the arrest of the contractor for demolition.
"During the process of demolition of the Secretariat building in Telangana, the mosque and temple were also demolished. The contractor must be booked and should be arrested. The public should know that we condemn this," he said while speaking to news agency.
Pointing out that his party MLAs Akbaruddin Owaisi and Moazam Khan have urged the state Assembly to look into the matter, he added, "We are not against the building of a new Secretariat, but what we asked for is not to destroy these structures during the process."
He welcomed the Chief Minister's announcement regarding the rebuilding of these structures.
"We expect the mosque to be built in the exact same place where it once stood. We expect the Chief Minister to speak to the representatives and meet our expectations and emotions about the mosque," he added.

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News Network
March 3,2020

Chennai, Mar 3: The Madras High Court has ruled that if a working woman gives birth to a child in the second delivery after twins in the first, she is not entitled to maternity benefits as it should be treated as third child.

"As per existing rules, a woman can avail such benefits only for her first two deliveries. Even otherwise it is debatable as to whether the delivery is not a second delivery but a third one, in as much as ordinarily when twins are born they are delivered one after another, and their age and their inter-se elderly status is also determined by virtue of the gap of time between their arrivals, which amounts to two deliveries and not one simultaneous act," the court said.

The first bench, comprising Chief Justice A P Sahi and Justice Subramonium Prasad stated this while allowing the appeal from Ministry of Home Affairs.

It set aside the order June 18 2019 order of a single Judge, who extended 180 days of maternity leave and other benefits to a woman member of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) under the rules governing the Tamil Nadu government servants.

The issue pertains to an appeal moved by the ministry, which contended that the leave claim is by a member of CISF to whom the maternity rules of Tamil Nadu would not apply.

She would be covered by the maternity benefits as provided under the Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, the ministry said.

When the appeal came up for hearing, the bench said it found that a second delivery, which, in the present case, resulted in a third child, cannot be interpreted so as to add to the mathematical precision that is defined in the rules.

The admissibility of benefits would be limited if the claimant has not more than two children, the bench said "This fact therefore changes the entire nature of the relief which is sought for by the woman petitioner, which aspect has been completely overlooked by the single judge", the bench said.

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