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Assam govt to invite Bodo rebels for talks on Nov 13

In an effort to break the impasse on the Bodo issue, the Assam government has decided to invite the militant Bodo Liberation Tigers for talks on November 13.

This is the first time the two sides will meet directly without a representative from the Centre.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting in Guwahati on Wednesday of the state government's Cabinet subcommittee on the creation of the proposed Bodoland Territorial Council.

The talks with the BLT are likely to draw up the final contours of the proposed politico-administrative structure.

The BLT, which is observing a ceasefire with the government since March 2000 and has been engaged in talks for the creation of a separate administrative set-up for the Bodos within the framework of the Constitution, has been putting pressure on both the state government and the Centre to arrive at a final solution.

Significantly, the subcommittee also decided to hold consultations with Congress MPs and MLAs from the Bodo areas before sitting down for talks with the BLT.

There are apprehensions within the state unit of the Congress that non-Bodos, especially Muslims, will be discriminated against in the proposed administrative structure meant to grant functional autonomy to the tribals.

There have been heated debates on which areas ought to be included in the proposed BTC. The talks have stalled over the BLT demand for an additional 93 villages.

The Cabinet subcommittee has apparently agreed to offer 11 out of these 93 villages. It is considering offering 27 more villages to the BTC. Sources said that once the villages are identified, the subcommittee would submit a report to the state government, which, if endorsed by the Cabinet, would be forwarded to the Centre for approval.

The two sides had earlier agreed upon the inclusion of 3,070 villages after discussions with leaders of all political parties.

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