From our Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR, Oct 26: The Group of Ministers (GoM) formed by the State Government arrived at a decision in the crucial meeting between the leaders of BTC and GoM at Kokrajhar Circuit House two months back not to resettle the nationals who do not have land pattas and other valid documents to prove their Indian citizenship. The leader of the GoM, Prithvi Majhi, and even the Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, assured the people of ‘Bodoland’ that the government would not allow any doubtful citizens to resettle in BTAD. But in ground reality, the Congress government has been trying to rehabilitate all the landless people including those who have no documents to prove their Indian citizenship.

The government is trying to resettle all the relief camp inmates of Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri districts in their respective villages on the basis of PAN card, bank passbook, NREGA job card and certificate from the Village Council Development Committee (VCDC).

The ridiculous move of the government was rejected by the leaders of BTC and the people of the region. The anti-Congress feeling among the people of BTAD areas is likely to grow more due to the adamant attitude of the Congress government. It is now pertinent to say that the situation would deteriorate more in the region if the government ignores the sentiment of the indigenous people by resettling the doubtful citizens.

The leaders of many organizations right from Co-ordination Committee for Bodo National Organizations (CCBNO), ABSU, AASU, Coordination Committee for Peace and Harmony (CCPH) and Tribal Sangha have cautioned the government to take the responsibilities of any undesired eventualities.

Chairman of CCBNO Dr Kameswar Brahma on Thursday said they would not accept PAN card, bank passbook, ration card, job card and VCDC certificate as documents for rehabilitation and resettlement of doubtful citizens.

BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary, at a press meet held at the Secretariat Conference Hall recently, said the government was trying to resettle the relief camp inmates who have obtained VCDC certificates, PAN cards, job cards, bank passbooks, et al. He said, “We have been opposing the resettlement of those people who don’t have land pattas and other citizenship documents including voter list.”

Mohilary said around 12,000 families, who are in various relief camps of lower Assam districts, are going to be rehabilitated after proper scrutiny of documents but of them, only 4,000-5,000 families have land documents and the rest have no land documents.

He also said the Assam government is not keen on updating NRC by taking 1971 as base year in BTC districts.

All Assam Tribal Sangha (AATS) president Ranjit Kumar Borgoyary on Thursday said the Sangha has been raising its voice against the rehabilitation of suspected Bangladeshis. “Doubtful citizens have grabbed large part of tribal belts and blocks and the government is maintaining a stoic silence. We cannot tolerate if the government goes ahead with its vote bank politics and make Bodoland a dumping and breeding ground of Bangladeshis.”

He also cautioned that the State would witness a vigorous mass movement against the ill-design of the State government.

Meanwhile, the intellectual circle here feels that the Congress might have a mission in Bodoland to regain more political power.

People here fear that the Congress is trying to capture power in the Council by pushing the suspected Bangladeshis and making them absolute majority within BTC areas and therefore, the Congress is forcing the Council authorities to resettle all people including landless people.