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Disgruntled Bodo outfits may renew agitation for separate state

The Bodo-dominated areas of Assam are likely to witness another phase of uncertainty with two frontline organisations deciding to renew their demand for a separate state for the Bodos.

This followed the Centre's failure to constitute the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) before the deadline set by the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), which expired on Saturday.

At a meeting held in Kokrajhar on Sunday, the ABSU and the Bodo People's Action Committee (BPAC) decided to convene a special convention on September 26 to re-launch the statehood movement.

They also decided to convene an all-party meet in the third week of September to discuss the latest development on the Bodo impasse.

The Centre is still engaged in negotiations with the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT), a banned militant outfit, on formation of the BTC and hence has not yet constituted the body.

Though the ABSU and BPAC had so far supported the negotiations, they are now threatening to withdraw support in protest against New Delhi's 'betrayal'.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, ABSU president Rabiram Narzary said, "We have no idea whether the Centre and the Assam government are committed to creating the BTC under the Sixth Schedule. It seems that both are buying time under the guise of negotiations with the BLT."

"The Centre wants to grant us our rights only if it suits its convenience. No one seems to be genuinely interested in our demands," said U G Brahma, a Rajya Sabha MP and adviser to the ABSU.

"If they were really committed to creation of the BTC, then they would not have been busy passing the buck," Narzary added.

He cautioned them against taking the September 26 convention lightly. The ABSU had led the Bodo statehood movement between 1987 and 1993, which witnessed widespread violence in the entire Bodo-dominated regions.

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