Indo-Bangladesh land swap is on, says PM Narendra Modi

Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended all speculation here on Sunday on the pending land swap deal between India and Bangladesh, and clarified that his government would go ahead with the land swap agreement to defend the interests of Assam as well as India as a whole.

Speaking to a large gathering of BJP workers and leaders here, Mr Modi said: “I know Assam’s problems. I assure you all that there will be no compromise on Assam’s security. Land swapping will be done for a permanent solution to the problem of infiltration.”

Fully aware that the proposed land swap deal had earlier been blocked by the BJP in Parliament before the Lok Sabha elections, Mr Modi said: “I know the sentiment of the Assamese people regarding the land swapping deal. I assure you we will move ahead considering the country’s and Assam’s interests. It may look a loss in the short term but Assam will gain in the long term.”

The PM also reminded people that whatever promises had been made by him during the election campaign would be implemented by his government. “My government will close all the roads that give passage to Bangladeshi immigrants who are destroying the state. This land swap deal is also a step in that direction,” Mr Modi said.

The Prime Minister also clarified: “The BJP doesn’t do politics on the basis of casteism, communalism or regionalism. We don’t accept that road. The BJP always did the politics of nationalism. We believe in development — with all and for all.” He said: “The BJP government has only one motto — and that is development. No party has had the courage to fight elections on the development issue.

In Maharashtra, Haryana and now in Jharkhand, all parties are talking of development.” India and Bangladesh have been negotiating a land swap agreement for years to resolve a long-running border conflict.

Mr Modi reiterated that a swap would help the state of Assam to permanently resolve the immigration issue that has dominated its politics for decades. Mr Modi also referred to the ambitious Jan Dhan Yojana of his government, declaring that the BJP was working to bring the poor into the mainstream. Mr Modi, who ended his two-day Assam visit on Sunday, left for Imphal, Manipur, to take part in the closing ceremony of the Sangai Festival at Bheigyachandra Open Air Theatre there on Sunday.