Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday night said it was indeed difficult to accept the present proposal of giving away land to Bangladesh without agreement from the state government.
"In the Land Boundary Agreement, the state government had mentioned to National Security Advisor and the previous and present Ministers of External Affairs, the need for obtaining consent from the people residing in the areas that are to be transferred...West Bengal will get only about 7,000 but will have to cede nearly 17,000 acres to Bangladesh," she said in her facebook page.
"The case of Teesta Water Agreement may be recalled where, during the draft stage, Centre had said something but proposed something totally different in the final stage," she said.
Mamata said this could not be accepted without taking into confidence and consent of the local people who live in the transferable areas.
"What is the hurry of the Central Government to give away our land and our water without the consent of the state government? What type of politics the Central Government is trying to play? Recently, they have disturbed the peaceful situation in Darjeeling. Earlier also, Centre had given away land from Assam and Tripura to the country concerned," she said.
The CM said the interest of the states cannot be compromised this way. "Though we maintain friendship and good relations with Bangladesh but it should not be at the cost of the people of West Bengal," she said.
A letter regarding the proposed Demarcation of Land Boundary between India and Bangladesh has been leaked to the media by the government recently, she said.
"There have been many developments and after detailed examination, I discussed the issue several times with the Ministers of External Affairs during the last two years," she said.
