ABSU Warns of Renewed Bodoland Statehood Stir Over Bodo Inscription Row

However, Assam Legislative Assembly sources have clarified that the removal of Bodo inscription along with English from the entrance of the new building was termporary, and was done for maintenance. The sources said the Bodo inscription would be put into place along with English once the maintenance work was over.

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KOKRAJHAR: The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) on Friday strongly condemned what it described as the systematic discrimination against the Bodo language, warning that the Bodo community may be compelled to revive the demand for a separate Bodoland state if repeated instances of administrative injustice and disrespect continue.

Tension flared outside the BTC Secretariat on Friday as activists of the Bodo National Students Union (BONSU), Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Manch (BJSM), and the All Assam Tribal Students Union (AATSU) staged a protest against the removal of the Bodo-language inscription from the Assam Legislative Assembly building.  The demonstrators also burnt an effigy of Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass, accusing him of disrespecting the Bodo language and tribal communities.

However, Assam Legislative Assembly sources have clarified that the removal of Bodo inscription along with English from the entrance of the new building was termporary, and was done for maintenance. The sources said the Bodo inscription would be put into place along with English once the maintenance work was over.

Addressing a press conference at Bodofa House, ABSU President Kwrwmdao Wary alleged that the recent removal of the Bodo inscription from the main building of the Assam Legislative Assembly was a deliberate attempt to undermine the language and the identity of the Bodo community.

He termed the removal a 'symbolic exclusion' of the Bodo language and an affront to the constitutional rights and dignity of the Bodo people. He added that the original Bodoland statehood movement had emerged because of domination and discrimination against the Bodo people, warning that similar circumstances could once again trigger a renewed movement for a separate state.

Drawing parallels with the creation of north-eastern states such as Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Manipur following the states reorganisation process, Wary said those states were formed in recognition of their distinct historical and linguistic identities. He maintained that the Bodo demand for Bodoland led by Bodofa Upendra Nath Brahma was rooted in the same aspirations.

"The Bodos have never abandoned the demand for a separate Bodoland. If neglect, domination, and disrespect towards our language, literature, political rights, economy, and dignity continue, the demand will naturally regain momentum," he said.

Wary claimed that the Bodo community has always respected the Assamese language and expected the same respect to be extended to the Bodo language. He also noted that Assamese inscriptions are displayed at the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) headquarters, demonstrating the community's inclusive approach.

Holding the Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly responsible for decisions regarding the Assembly premises, Wary said the Speaker has the authority to act through the Assembly's Rules Committee. He urged Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass to either ensure equal recognition of the Bodo language in the Assembly or adopt a resolution recommending the creation of a separate Bodoland state and forward it to the Union Government.

"Only the Bodos have continued to remain with Assam, while most other communities in the Northeast have obtained separate states. If the Assembly cannot even accommodate the Bodo language, it would be better to grant the Bodos their own state," Wary asserted.

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