Dispel fear from people, AXX tells Mohilary

BTC decision on land rights

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, March 9: Rights over ‘land and language’ make the very essence that brands people as ‘indigenous’ of a place. Spelling this out in clear terms, the Axam Xahitya Xabha (AXX) has told BTC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Hagrama Mohilary not to deprive various ethnic groups living in the BTAD of any such rights.

An AXX delegation led by its president Paramanda Rajbonghi met Mohilary on Friday with the plea that the ethnic groups living in the BTAD should not be deprived of land rights. The AXX delegation told Mohilary that BTAD is inhabited by various ethnic groups who should enjoy their land rights. The delegation of litterateurs requested Moholary to dispel the fear that has gripped non-Bodos living in the BTAD ever since the BTC Executive Council took the decision to bar non-tribal people from owning and transferring land in the BTAD. After the decision taken by the BTC Executive Council, various organizations of Koch-Rajbongshis, th-Jogi organizations and others announced agitations against it.

Meanwhile, at a meeting with the Nepali Sahtya Sabha (NSS) and the All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union (AAGSU) on March 7, 2018 Mohilary admitted that the decision on land rights taken by the BTC Executive Council was wrong.  However, the CPI-M later said that mere admission of the decision taken by the BTC Executive Council as ‘wrong’ would not solve the problem. The BTC Executive Council should rectify its wrong decision in black and white. The Left party said that the 2003 BTC Accord spells it out in no uncertain terms that after the formation of the BTAD the land and other rights of people living in the BTAD will remain intact. The Left party also raised the demand for allotment of land to people residing in the BTAD prior to 2003.