BPNL to launch democratic movement against 'anti-Bodo' policy of government

KOKRAJHAR: Expressing serious anguish over the BJP-led governments at the Centre and the State for their alleged plan to exterminate the Bodo tribal people by bringing in a faulty BTR accord, the All India Bodo People's National League for Bodoland Statehood (BPNL) on Sunday warned that it would launch a democratic mass movement soon against the 'destructive' policies of the government.

A special meeting of former Bodo leaders and workers of various organizations was held at Titaguri under the initiative of BPNL, led by former Lok Sabha MP Sansuma Khunggur Bwiswmuthiary on January 3. The meeting was attended by former leaders of various organizations and intellectuals from different districts, including Sonitpur.

The meeting which was chaired by former MP Bwiswmuthiary, was addressed among others by retired IRS Janaklal Basumatary, working president of Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Mancha (BJSM) DD Narzary, former president of All Assam Tribal Samgha (AATS), Ranjit Kr. Borgoyary, and other dignitaries.

Most of the speakers in the meeting expressed fear that the BTR accord could bring a serious setback in the existing BTC as the new accord had many faulty clauses, including disintegration of existing boundary and land rights to all in the protected areas formed under 6th schedule of the Indian Constitution. They said the Bodos could never compromise on the exclusion of villages under BTC boundary and also opposed the land rights to non-protected class of people or the people coming from outside and settled down illegally in protected areas like BTC.

Apart from these, the former leaders and activists stated that the State BJP had been trying to seize the political rights of the Bodo and tribal people ensured in BTC by directly getting involved in the council election. They also alleged that North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma was playing divisive politics in BTC between the tribal and non-tribal people and was thus trying to destroy the age-old integration among tribal people. They also expressed anger over the 'hijack' politics in BTC saying that the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) emerged as single largest party by securing 16 seats out of total 40 seats in the last election but despite this fact, the Governor invited the second largest party- the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) instead of giving preference to the single largest party. The BPNL in the meeting decided to move the High Court against the exclusion of villages from the existing BTC.

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