Assam: Will Implement BTR Accord 100%, Says Union Home Minister Amit Shah

OUR CORRESPONDENT & Agencies

KOKRAJHAR: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the central government would implement 100 percent of the conditions of the BTR agreement to establish peace in the region.

Addressing the 57th Annual Conference of the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) at Bodofa Fwthar, Dotma, in Kokrajhar, Shah stated that despite initial scepticism from the Congress party, the Assam government and the Centre have implemented approximately 82 percent of the agreement’s conditions.

“This event is the message of the peace established in Bodoland. I still remember on January 27, 2020, when the BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region) Peace Agreement was signed, the Congress party used to mock me that there would never be peace in Bodoland and that the agreement would become a joke, but today, the Assam government and Centre have implemented almost 82 percent of the conditions of this agreement,” Shah said.

“The Modi government will implement 100 percent of the agreement conditions in the next two years. After that, there will be a long-lasting peace in the BTR area,” he added.

The Home Minister further stated that under the provisions of the agreement, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA Act) has been removed from the entire Bodoland region on April 1, 2022.

Shah highlighted the progress and development the region has made since the signing of the peace accord.

Paying tribute to former ABSU president Upendranath Brahma, the Home Minister announced that a road in the national capital city of Delhi will be named after him. The event will be conducted in Delhi on April 1 in the presence of the Assam Chief Minister and other state leaders.

Shah credited ABSU for the BTR Peace Accord, stating that the accord wouldn’t have been signed if ABSU hadn’t played a major role.

Amit Shah said, “I am thankful to ABSU members for inviting me to attend their 57th Annual Conference. The peace, development, and excitement that can be witnessed here is only because of ABSU. ABSU has played a major role in the Bodo Accord. If ABSU hadn’t played a key role, then there wouldn’t be peace in Bodoland. I extend my gratitude to the members of ABSU. I pay my tribute to 5,000 martyrs who lost their lives for the establishment of peace in Bodoland.”

”Today, when the whole Bodoland is living on the principles of Upendranath Brahma Ji, we have decided to name a big road in Delhi after him. This will be done in the first week of April, in the presence of the Chief Minister and other leaders of Assam... ABSU is moving forward with the vision of education, empowerment, and development. I am proud to say that classes and exams are being taken in Bodo languages till class 12. This move doesn’t only include Bodo language in the list of scheduled languages but also keeps it alive for longer years,” he said.

In his speech as a special invited guest, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said peace returned to BTC after the BTR peace accord at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. He said the development got picked up in BTC, and clauses of the accord are being implemented in a speedy manner. He assured that the construction of Kokrajhar University will start from April, while the Udalguri Campus of Bodoland University would be completed within three years. He also assured the gathering of upgrading 35 Bodo medium high schools to model high schools, the monolith of Bodo Bagurumba and Bardwisikla traditional dance at Sarusajai Stadium, and support for sustainable development in BTR in all spheres. He also said a new railway line will connect Kokrajhar and Gelephu in Bhutan, where youths of Bodoland will get job avenues, while the burial place of Bodofa UN Brahma at “Thulungapuri, Dotma is being upgraded to a centre of excellence.

Minister Urkhao Gwra Brahma and the president of the BSS, Dr. Surath Narzary, spoke on the occasion as appointed speakers and were attended by Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly Biswajit Daimary as a distinguished guest.

Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief Pramod Boro was also present at the event.

 Also Read: Assam Rail Passengers’ Association Welcomes Amit Shah’s visit to Assam

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