NEW DELHI: The strategically located Bodoland area of Assam is likely to witness yet another round of large-scale violence with the Bodo groups claiming that a point of no return has been reached and the Center apparently in a fix over handling the agitation for a separate state.
After several rounds of protracted tripartite talks a solution to the grievances of the plains tribal of the state does not appear to be in sight. Bodo leaders currently in the Capital conveyed their “frustration” and consequent hardening of stand to the Union home minister S.B.Chavan recently.
According to the president of the All Bodo Student Union (ABSU) S.K.B wiswamutiary if need arose the agitation leaders would lodge a complaint against the government of India with the United Nations and Amnesty International He said Chavans statement that the Center was not in favor of creating small states was “illogical.”
As per the agitation program chalked out peace rallies would be held out on all national and state highways in the “Bodoland area on Oct.28. The area would witness mass wailing on Oct.31 to express the frustration of the Bodo against alleged inaction of the Center towards the grievances of the plains tribal he said. A mass relay hunger-strike has also been planned on November 1.
“You cannot compel us to remain in Assam. We cannot be fooled into accepting any development council Even after the Nagas and Mizot went out of Assam the people of the state have not learned a lesson. In our perception the Bodos have no future in the present set-up in Assam” Bwiswamutiary said.
According to him the Plains Tribals Council of Assam (PTCA) which was the first to raise the demand for a separate territory for the tribals in the form of a “Udayanchal” in the sixties had now plunged itself wholeheartedly in the Bodo agitation. The PTCA workers had been reportedly instructed to join the ABSU activists while the dissolution of the PTCA itself would be considered at a meeting on November 1 he said.
The ABSU leaders threat to approach the UN or Amnesty International was made in the context of induction of army in Kokrajhar and other areas inhabited by the Bodos He alleged that the chief minister Hiteswar Saikia was raising the bogey of the Bodo Security Forces (BSF) to induct “army into the region and in the process sideline the ABSU and the Bodo Peoples Action Committee.
He came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party for its stand on the creation of small states.
While at the national level the party had committed itself to carving out smaller states the 10 member BJP legislature party in the state had been opposing the creation of Bodoland. “If the BJP is a national party at least its ideology should not differ from state to state” he remarked.
On the resumption of the antiforeigner movement by the All Assam Students Union the ABSU leader said his organization would not actively participate in the movement since the AASU had not come out clearly in favor of creation of a separate state for the plains tribals. He said even during the AASUs earlier six year movement the ABSU had not participated in it. At best the ABSU could extend moral support to the AASU movement he said.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 6, 1992
