Bodoland movement groups reaffirm to fight for Bodoland State

Our Correspondent

Kokrajhar: The movement groups of Bodoland demand committee including ABSU, PJACBM and NDFB(P) have reaffirmed that there won’t be any compromise unless the Government permanently resolves the Bodoland issue.

The president of ABSU Promod Boro in a mass gathering held at Barama on Friday said despite being son of the soil, the community was deprived of all due constitutional rights and share in this State. It is well known fact that the Bodo and other communities are lacking far behind due to constant discrimination and negligence in political patronization by the ruling cliques of the region continuously for last 70 years after independence.

The conspiracy to eradicate the unique culture, rich language and traditions of the community by the privileged section of people of the State are the main reason of the continuous Bodoland movement, he said adding that the community along with the underprivileged section of people have to fight for every need, socio-cultural issues and for right to education in the state. It is very unfortunate that, as citizens the Bodos don’t have access in many rights entitled by the various provisions of the Constitution of India.

“Our dreams and aspirations cannot be realised unless we have a separate State. Bodos are demanding so many things for inclusive development but that is not done in our regions. There is demand for a Central University since couple of decades but that has been established at Tezpur and Silchar. There is demand of AIIMS in the lower Assam but the AIIMS is established at Amingaon near Guwahati, Medical College is established by Assam Government in many places but not in proposed Bodoland region. In one word the region gets nothing. Therefore, the demand for a separate State is justified,” he said adding that it has happened in the case of other tribes of NE region who happened to be part of greater Assam for some decades after independence. They are feeling more secured in terms of protection of their land, identity, language and culture. Thus, creation of one more new state in NE region will not be curse but it will be a blessing and a way of achieving greater peace and sustainability in the region, he said.

Boro said the genuine and legitimate demand of the Bodo and other people living in the proposed Bodoland area must be respected as the government of India is the right authority to resolve all these issues. The movement group in Bodoland is very disturbed as the present depensation in Delhi is not taking a policy decision on the matter despite its oral and written promise and assurance since 2014 to resolve the issue if voted to power in new Delhi.

Boro said the Bodoland movement was one of the reasons amongst others that has brought into existence of the National Federation for New States (NFNS). All such groups in the country who are demanding creation of separate statehood are now doing so under the banner of NFNS.

Boro said NFNS believed that the aims and aspirations of the Bodo people can be addressed only by creation of a new state of Bodoland. This can be done by invoking the provisions of articles 2 & 3 of the Constitution of India. Since this has to be done in the Parliament, as a front NFNS has pledged to take up their case in Delhi collectively along with that of Bundelkhand, Gorkhaland, Tipraland, Karbi-Anglong, Kukiland and Vidarbha. It believes that creation of new States is the need of the hour and necessary for alleviation from existing regional disparities faced by them.

The movement group will go for more vigorous mass movement in regional level as well as in the national capital. The Government at the Centre fails to announce the timeline and the manner in which it proposes to create the new State of Bodoland, amongst others, he said.

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