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North-East : Assam : Non-Bodos to approach UN |
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A day after the Assam Government invited the Bodo Liberation Tigers for “final discussions” on the proposed Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), the Sanmilita Janagosthiya Sangram Samiti (SJSS) declared that it would take its agitation to the United Nations. The SJSS is a federation of 18 non-Bodo organisations opposed to the constitution of a new administrative set-up.
“We have decided to move the United Nations because the Centre and the State Government have not cared to respond to our demands for a halt to the process of creating the BTC. The State Government has decided to impose the BTC on everyone and ignore the non-Bodos, who comprise the majority of the population in the proposed council’s territory,” SJSS deputy chief convenor Brajen Mahanta told The Telegraph on November 7.
The SJSS will stage a demonstration in front of Parliament during the winter session. This is part of the strategy to mobilise opinion against the BTC through a countrywide campaign.
Terming the State Government’s invitation to the BLT “a conspiracy to trigger a conflict between the Bodo and the non-Bodo communities”, Mahanta said at least 1,000 of the 3,070 villages cleared for inclusion in the BTC territory did not have a sizeable Bodo population.
“It will be a travesty of justice if the Government imposes an administrative set-up on us. The Bodos, who are in the minority in these villages, will rule the majority non-Bodo population,” Mahanta said.
The SJSS leader reiterated that the concept of “territorial autonomy” for a particular community was not feasible for an area with a mixed population. “It will encourage other ethnic groups in the State to raise the demand to carve out territories along ethnic lines. By giving its consent to the creation of the BTC, the Congress Government has paved the way for division of the State into small territories and more intense ethnic conflicts.”
The Cabinet sub-committee on the BTC is examining the BLT’s demand for the inclusion of 93 additional villages in the proposed Bodo set-up.
Health Minister Bhumidhar Barman, who heads the four-member sub-committee, said a consensus on the issue was expected at the November 13 meeting.
“If a decision is taken, we will apprise Congress MLAs and MPs from the Bodo belt about it the same day. The Cabinet will formally endorse the inclusion of additional villages by November 15. The idea is to remove all hurdles in the way of constituting the BTC by this date,” he said.
Bodo students demand clear-cut BTC boundary
Meanwhile, the All-Bodo Students’ Union (ABSUU) on November 8 warned Dispur against coming up with a “half-baked” solution when its representatives meet leaders of the Bodo Liberation Tigers on November 13 for “final discussions” on the proposed BTC.
ABSU president Rabiram Narzary said the outcome of the proposed discussions on the inclusion of 93 additional villages in the BTC, as demanded by the militant outfit, “should be acceptable to the Bodos”.
Though the BLT has agreed to pursue a “give-and-take policy”, the powerful Students’ Union insists that the demand is not negotiable. “We cannot scale down this number. The Government should understand and respect the sentiments of the Bodo people. We will wait for the outcome of the November 13 talks and then decide whether it is acceptable or not,” Narzary said.
The ABSU’s statement coincided with the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA)’s call for a 24-hour statewide bandh on November 11. The association is opposing the inclusion of the tea tribe-dominated areas of Lower Assam in the proposed BTC territory.
Narzary said the Government should be “more sincere so that mistakes like the Bodoland Autonomous Council, which was a failure from Day One, are not made again”. On the Government’s invitation to non-Bodo MLAs and MPs for talks, the ABSU leader said, “They have no role to play in resolving the BTC issue. It is between the Government and the Bodo people. Inviting non-Bodo MPs and MLAs for talks is meaningless”.
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