AGP members snatch Khurshid's copy of land swap bill

Two Rajya Sabha members of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) Tuesday snatched a copy of a bill from External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid minutes after he tried to introduce a proposed legislation for land swap with Bangladesh.

As the minister stood up asking for leave to introduce the bill, members of the AGP Kumar Deepak Das and Birendra Prasad Baishya stepped forward and snatched the copy of the bill.

Amidst the ruckus, Deputy Chariman P.J. Kurien adjourned the house without the bill being formally introduced.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Nineteenth Amendment) Bill, 2013, to give effect to the acquiring of territories by India and transfer of certain territories to Bangladesh in pursuance of an agreement, the protocol to which was signed in 2011, was taken up by Khurshid in the afternoon.

The objection by the AGP members and the non-introduction of the bill came almost at the same time when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members were demanding resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and two other ministers.

The BJP has been demanding the resignation of Manmohan Singh and Law and Justice Minister Ashwani Kumar over an alteration done in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report on the coal blocks allocation, and the resignation of Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal over a bribery charge against his nephew.

The main opposition party has said it will not allow the passage of any bill unless, at least, the law minister and the railway minister resign.