Mamata agrees with Delhi on Indo-Bangla enclave swap

The Trinamool Congress government of West Bengal has decided to withdraw its objection to the long-pending land-swap deal between India and Bangladesh.

Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra informed the Indian Union Home Ministry last week that the state government wanted to settle the enclave issue which is being dragged for over six decades now, reports Kolkata-based daily Anandabazaar Patrika.

However, the state government wants the Indian central government to take up the issue of developing the land area that will be added to West Bengal, in terms of administration and infrastructure, the report said yesterday.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee might announce the new stand of her government at a rally in Cooch Behar today. The venue of the chief minister's rally is very close to the Bangladeshi enclave, which suggests that the reports about her making a big announcement today could be true.

Mamata had hinted at her party's changing role on the enclave issue before the Lok Sabha election in March. When the draft of the land boundary agreement was made during a parliamentary panel meeting last week, the representatives of the TMC agreed to it.

The new stance is a marked departure from what it had said earlier on the issue. Mamata had stalled talks between India and Bangladesh over the Teesta water-sharing and also pulled out of the Bangladesh-bound entourage of former prime minister Manmohan Singh.