OUR CORRESPONDENT
KOKRAJHAR: A meeting to form the reception committee for the 13th annual conference of the United Bodo People’s Organization (UBPO) was held at Dhulaura village in Bongaigaon district on Saturday.
The reception committee was formed with local MLA Bhupen Ray as president and Dalim Basumatary as secretary. Begaram Basumatary was appointed working president, while Midas Daimary, Damburudhar Basumatary and Pranab Kumar Narzary were named vice presidents. Debaraj Basumatary and Devid Daimary were appointed assistant secretaries, and Jayanti Goyary as treasurer.
Although the date of the conference is yet to be finalised, it has been proposed to hold the event on January 6 and 7, 2027.
Speaking at the meeting, UBPO president Manuranjan Basumatary said the organisation was formed in 2014 to fight for the legitimate rights of Boro-Kachari people living outside the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) area. He said the UBPO had played a key role in bringing together different political parties and apolitical organisations in the larger interest of the Bodo community.
Basumatary said the organisation had campaigned for an autonomous council for more than 10 lakh Boro-Kachari people living outside the BTC, which led to the formation of the Boro-Kachari Welfare Autonomous Council (BKWAC) under the BTR Accord in 2020.
He said the UBPO currently has 22 district committees across Assam, besides committees in Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Meghalaya. He also said the organisation had been pressing the Assam government to conduct elections to the BKWAC after notifying the villages under its jurisdiction. UBPO founder secretary and BKWAC chairman Anil Basumatary said the BKWAC had provided a political arrangement for Boro-Kachari people living outside the BTC. He stressed that an elected council was essential for ensuring adequate allocation of funds and effective development. He said the UBPO, as a signatory to the BTR Accord, had been pursuing the notification of villages, delimitation of constituencies and elections to the council, which are yet to be completed.
BKWAC CEM and UBPO founder Mihiniswar Basumatary said the organisation was formed with the objective of securing an autonomous council for Bodos living outside the BTC.
He said the UBPO was continuing to press the governments of India and Assam for implementation of the relevant provisions of the BTR Accord and completion of the pending processes related to the BKWAC.
Also Read: Assam Rail Passengers’ Association body flags delays in local trains under Rangiya Division