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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News Network
July 20,2020

Aligarh, Jul 20: The son of a motor mechanic in Aligarh, who had received a scholarship, topped at his high school in the United States.

Mohammad Shadab, son of the motor mechanic, told ANI, "Last year, I received the Kennedy-Lugar youth exchange scholarship worth Rs 20 lakh from the US government. Following this, I went to the States to pursue my high school education."

Out of 800 students, Shadab was also selected Student of the Month at his school. On his achievement, he said, "It was an achievement for me to be awarded this tag."

"I have worked really hard to top the high school," Shabad said.

Shadab said, "The condition at home was not good and it is still not that good. I want to support my parents and make them feel proud."
He also thanked the Indian government. "I am thankful to the Indian government for making me the flag-bearer in another county and choosing me for this scholarship."

Shabad's father, Arshad Noor, who is working as a motor mechanic for the past 25 years, said, "We had sent him to the US for his education and I am happy that he topped at the school."
On being asked about his son, Arshad said, "I want my son to become an IAS officer and serve the country."

But Shadab expressed the desire to work at the United Nations as a human rights officer.

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News Network
April 28,2020

New Delhi, Apr 28: Nafisa Ali took to Instagram to share the inspiring story of her niece, Diya Naidu, who donated her plasma to help patients suffering from Covid-19 after recovering from the disease. The veteran actress shared a photo of her niece from the hospital bed and asked fans to read Diya's post to get a detailed account of her experience.

Nafisa wrote, "Diya Naidu my niece - a COVID19 hero - is back home after donating her plasma - looks like liquid gold - it’s value is priceless as it will save lives. So please read her COVID19 story and share the information that is first hand. It is the need of the hour. Help save lives. #diyanise. #diyanaidu #covid_19 #india (sic)."

Diya Naidu, who is a dancer and choreographer based in Bengaluru, revealed in her Instagram post that she has donated her plasma for other Covid-19 patients. She said that the method has been super effective wherever it's been tried.

Earlier, Nafisa Ali gave a shout-out to her niece on Instagram and penned a heartfelt note for her. She wrote, "I am so grateful to you brave child - a COVID19 warrior (living in Bangalore) has agreed to donate her plasma to help cure other COVID19 serious patients (sic)."

Explaining the process of plasma therapy to treat Covid-19 patients, she wrote, "The process of donating plasma to treat COVID-19 is not very complex and can be done in just two hours. One of the most discussed methods of treatment of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus is plasma therapy, which involves the transfusion of plasma from a convalescent coronavirus patient to a critical patient. The blood of a recovering patient is rich in antibodies produced by the body to fight the virus, which are expected to help the critical patient recover (sic)."

Plasma therapy has been suggested to treat people suffering from Covid-19. People, who have recovered from the disease, are donating plasma as it contains antibodies to fight the disease. Earlier, Kanika Kapoor, who was the first Bollywood celebrity to be diagnosed with the disease, also offered to donate her plasma. She has recovered from Covid-19 and is currently living with her family in Lucknow.

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Agencies
January 15,2020

New Delhi, Jan 15: Suspended Deputy Superintendent of J&K Police Davinder Singh had ferried Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Naveed Babu to Jammu last year also and facilitated his return to Shopian after "rest and recuperation", officials interrogating him said here Tuesday.

"Meri mati maari gayi thi (I must have lost my mind to do what I did)," an interrogator quoted Singh as saying after the DSP failed to impress them with his theory of catching a big terrorist.

Singh was arrested last Saturday along with Naveed Babu alias Babar Azam, a resident of Nazneenpora in South Kashmir's Shopian district, and his associate Asif Ahmad.

He is believed to have taken Rs 12 lakh for smuggling the two to Chandigarh for providing them accommodation for a couple of months, officials said. The officials, who have been spending considerable time questioning Singh, said there have been many inconsistencies in his statements and everything was being crosschecked and corroborated with the confessions of captured militants who have been kept in different rooms at an interrogation centre in South Kashmir.

During questioning it emerged that Singh had taken them to Jammu in 2019 also, the officials said.

In a tone laced with sarcasm, they said the DSP was taking the militants for "rest and recuperation".

Naveed told the interrogators that they used to stay in the hilly regions to avoid the J&K police and left the areas to escape harsh winters, they said.

The official said the DSP's bank accounts and other assets were being verified by the police and papers were being collected, amid speculations that the case may be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Going into the service history of Singh, majority of retired and serving officials of the JKP spoken to referred to a proverb -- coming events cast their shadows long before -- to say that if action had been taken against the officer during his probation period, such things would not have happened.

Recruited in 1990 as a sub-inspector, Singh along with another probationary officer were subject of an internal enquiry where some narcotics had been seized from a truck. However, the contraband was sold by Singh and another sub-inspector, the officials recalled.

There was a move to dismiss them from the service which was stalled by an Inspector General rank officer purely on humanitarian ground and the duo was shifted to the Special Operations Group, a team of policemen engaged in counter-militancy offensive.

However, he could not last there for long and was shifted this time to the police lines only to be rehabilitated in 1997 again in the SOG.

During this period, he was posted in Budgam and is alleged to have indulged in extortion for which he was sent back to the police lines.

His proper rehabilitation began in 2015 by the then Director General of Police K Rajendra, who posted him in district headquarters of Shopian and Pulwama, the officials said.

However, after some alleged wrongdoing during his stint in Pulwama, the then Director General of Police S P Vaid transferred him in August 2018 to the sensitive Anti-Hijacking Unit in Srinagar, though the move was opposed by some other officers.

An advocate, Irfan Ahmad Mir, was driving the vehicle when they were caught by the police on National Highway in Kulgam district.

The advocate, who has also been arrested, had travelled to Pakistan five times on an Indian passport.

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