Six-hour business shutdown call evokes total response in Kokrajhar

From our Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR, Sept 19: The six-hour business shutdown of the Bodoland state demand group like the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU), tiol Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-Progressive) and People’s Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement (PJACBM) from 7 am to 1 pm evoked total response in Kokrajhar district. The bandh was called to pressurize the Centre for creation of Bodoland state.

Talking to media persons at Bodofa House, Bagansali, the president of the ABSU, Promod Boro said the BJP leaders assured the movement groups of the Bodos during the last parliamentary election that the problems of the Bodos would be solved if the NDA government came to power but after coming to power, the BJP-led NDA government had forgotten their promises. He said the movement groups of the Bodos were compelled to start the first phase of Bodoland state movement after two-and-half years of NDA government at the Centre. He said they had been waiting for policy of the Union Government on the separate state issue but now it had become clear that the Centre was not ready to solve the Bodo issue. He also said the ABSU and its allied organizations had already observed tiol highway blockade on August 30 demanding the creation of Bodoland state under the provision of articles 2 and 3 of the Indian Constitution.

Boro warned the Centre and the State Government that the movement group would be compelled to launch hunger strike in New Delhi, bandh starting from 24-hours to 100 hours or more in the days to come if the government failed to take proactive measures to create Bodoland state as per the provision of the Constitution. He also said as per the declared series of agitation, there would be seven hour chakka bandh on September 30 from 7am to 2 pm and 12-hour railway blockade in the third week of October. He reiterated that the indigenous people had been targeted by the Government  of Assam and the tribal people were victims of eviction on various grounds despite being given protection under the Forest Dwellers Act.