Three Hours Dharna organized by Bodo movement groups across BTAD demanding separate state

Kokrajhar: A three hours Dharna was organized by Bodo movement organizations across BTAD area on Monday to assert the Government of India, that agitation for a separate state will continue until resolved.

It is being held at all the district headquarters across proposed Bodoland state and in Assam.

The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), National Democratic Front of Boroland Progressive [NDFB(P)], People’s Joint Action Committee for Boroland Movement (PJACBM) and people of proposed Bodoland jointly held the protest.

The movement groups in a press statement stated that the birth of the ‘Telangana’ state on the 2nd June 2, 2014, and making it a reality as a state by your Government has also made your term in Government a memorable one.

"One of your popular policies is supporting to the creation of smaller states in India and the BJP party also, which you represent too, has been advocating that as one of the fundamental policies since its inception. Since the time of creation of Jharkhand, Chatishgarh and Uttarakhand, the policy of reorganization of Indian states has been going on by the parliamentary process till date. It was the NDA Government under the leadership of Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2003 which created the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) under the 6th Schedule of the Indian constitution with the promise to consider the question of Bodoland as and when the appropriate time comes. Before that also in 1993, the then Congress Government under the leadership of P. V. Narasimha Rao created Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC) under the state Act with the same promise. During the period of 1993 to 2018, a long 25 years have elapsed and 4 new states had been created but the issue of Bodoland had been left out by every successive Government," the press statement reads.

The groups also claimed that the Bodos are one of the aboriginal people of India, historically the Boro people had a kingdom which the British annexed to their Empire in 1854 by enforcing the draconian law name – Doctrine of Lapse and thus lost their Kingdom. Thousands of Boro people sacrificed their lives while taking part in India’s freedom movement against the British colonial rule with the expectation that they would get their due share while India would become independent. As a result of vigorous movement of the Indian communities as a whole India ultimately became independent on the 15th August 1947. But unfortunately, instead of being rewarded, a gross historical injustice to the Boro people had been done by every successive Government in free India.

They also stated that due to relentless discrimination, utter negligence and suppression in all walks of life by the administration led by the dominant communities the Boro people have become marginalized and have been forced to live a second class citizen in their ancestral land.

The press statement also reads, "Bodo language is enlisted in the 8th Schedule of the Indian constitution but its recognition in the country and Assam, in particular, is at the marginal level. Bodo culture is unique having distinct characteristics but recognition of it at the national arena is yet a distant dream only."

It may also be mentioned that Bodo Literature is one of the most progressive literature of India, but its stretch of extension couldn’t cross the spheres of the small area due to lack of proper policy and initiative from the concerning Governments.

The movement bodies also stated that the land issue is standing today as a most crucial question of a predicament for the Bodo as because of unbridled alienation of lands by a powerful and populous non-tribal group of people that is still unending.

"The long pasts of the Bodo people in free India are the history of being exploited, dominated, and forced to be assimilated in the field of culture and language by the hegemonic ruler of Assam. They have lost their ancestral lands, heritage and natural belongings to the hands of expansionist migrant people. Their population set-up was also scattered by way of displacements in the name of a-forestation or urbanization. But despite all these offensives also Bodo nationality has survived and achieved present status due to some changes in the policy and look-out at the level of Central Government time to time," the press statement reads further.

At present, the above joint movement groups, along with political and non-political organizations, are leading the movement. "We, very often, off and on have been meeting many BJP leaders, leaders of other parties and also top bureaucrats of the MHA requesting them to take necessary steps to resolve the problem since the beginning of your Government but all those attempts did not cut much ice. The NDFB (P) alone had 15 rounds of tripartite talk and had 27 rounds of talks with the interlocutor during last 12 years of the peace process but there was no progress in the talk," said the joint movement groups today before the media.

Other four joint movement groups under the leadership of the ABSU also have had 7 rounds of tripartite talk so far in Political level but there was no breakthrough as because there is no clear-cut policy in the Government with regard to the solution of the problem as learned from different official sources.

The Joint Movement Group including the NDFB (P) had an opportunity for a formal and official dialogue on the issue with Home Minister Rajnath Singh at his office in North Block, New Delhi on the April 26, 2017 where Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbanand Sonowal, State Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary and top-ranking bureaucrats of MHA and Dispur took part.

The groups further mentioned that they were assured by Home Minister Rajnath Singh earlier that talk would continue to sort out the problem through dialogue. "But it is a great disappointment to the Joint Movement Group that talk has been taking place irregularly but nothing has been coming out of that," the groups added.

It may further be mentioned that the joint groups in connection with the Bodoland issue reminded the following demands to your honour for an early solution – (a) Bring a national policy with regard to the issue of settlement of Bodoland state. (b) Expedite the process of dialogue on Bodoland state issue at the political level. (c) Fulfill the BJP’s commitments given in the Election Manifesto in 2014. (d) Ensure Political Right to the Bodos living outside of the Proposed Bodoland Area. (e) Grant ST Hills Status to the Bodos living in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao.