Bodo leaders demand BTC election within October

KOKRAJHAR: Many political leaders of BTC have opined that the election to BTC should be held within October as the development activities in the council had been halted due to lack of elected council.

In a press meet, the president of Bodoland People's Front (BPF), Hagrama Mohilary said the assembly election in Bihar had been announced and there was no reason to defer the BTC election on the pretext of COVID-19 pandemic. He questioned as to how the Governor of Assam could approve the change of the name of BTAD to BTR while the Model Code of Conduct was in force as this was beyond constitutional ambit. He also warned that the people of BTC would go for hunger strike until the BTC election date was declared by the SEC.

Meanwhile, the president of the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) Promod Boro welcomed the move for implementation of BTR accord, including naming of BTAD to BTR. He said the election of BTC should be held as early as possible for the greater interest of development of the region. He hoped that all the clauses of the BTR accord would be implemented very soon as per the commitment of the governments of India and Assam.

On the other hand, the vice-president of the All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU), Jayanta Kr. Basumatary in a press meet hailed the move of the governments of India and Assam for implementation of BTR accord, that include formation of BKWAC within a month for Boro Kachari people living outside BTR, inclusion of Bodo language as associate official language in the state of Assam (Clause 6.2) and the formation of Commission for the alteration of the area of BTAD (Clause 3) and as stated in clause 3.1, that a Commission is appointed under paragraph 14 of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution to examine and recommend the extension of BTR area.

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