Insisting that there are no "ifs and buts" about its opposition to Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh, BJP today said the government went ahead and signed the treaty without taking the political parties into confidence on the issue.
"On the Indo-Bangladesh land boundary agreement, I wish to clarify that BJP is completely against it. The Prime Minister held a meeting with us on it recently... Without any ifs and buts we had said in the meeting that we will not support the Bill on this issue," Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj told reporters here.
She claimed BJP had categorically told the government not to bring the Bill in Parliament.
"Government had assured us that it will not list the Bill for discussion in Parliament as the main opposition is not in agreement," Swaraj said.
Denying there were any differences in the party on the issue, Swaraj said Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, Parliamentary Party Chief L K Advani and party president Rajnath Singh were present with her when the message was conveyed to the Prime Minister that the party does not support the Land Boundary Agreement Bill.
"We are absolutely united on this issue," she said.
Asked if BJP would continue to maintain the same stand if it came to power and that this would hamper international relations, Swaraj said "our stand on this issue will not be different even after we come to power," she said.
Explaining why BJP is opposed to the Bill, Swaraj said, "10,000 acres of land will have to be given away. Moreover, this is not just about land as emotions are also involved. And this government has casually gone and signed the Agreement," she said.
Denying that Jaitley had promised anything to Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni when she met him here on July 26, Swaraj said he had only told her that he will convey her views to BJP leadership.
