Decks cleared for Bodo talks
George Iype in New Delhi
Militant Bodo groups, the Central government and the Asom Gana Parishad government will hold tripartite talks in New Delhi on Thursday to bring back peace to the insurgency-hit Assam state.
Government sources said the peace parleys will focus on the implementation of the Bodo Accord of 1993.
Representatives of the main Bodo groups -- the Bodoland Autonomous Council, the People's Democratic Front, the All Bodo Students Union, the Bodo State Movement Council and the Bodo Sahitya Sabha -- are already in the capital to take part in the talks. Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, Union Home Minister Indrajit Gupta and senior ministry of officials will also participate in the discussions.
The Bodo Accord was signed in 1993 by the Centre, the state government and the All Bodo Students Union. As per the accord, the Bodoland Autonomous Council Act was passed by the state legislature and received the assent of the President in May in 1993. Thereafter an interim Bodo Council was also set up.
However, formal elections to the BAC could not be held as differences arose between the Bodo groups and the state government over the demarcation of the BAC area. This led to violence, arson and killings in Assam in the past few months.
The Centre and the state government plan to highlight the plight of non-Bodo groups living in the BAC areas. Bodos comprise only 38 per cent of the total population of these areas.
The Centre hopes the talks will help bring peace back to Assam.
Meanwhile, Mahanta, who has been camping in New Delhi for the last three days, held extensive talks with home ministry officials on the alleged funding of the United Liberation Front of Asom militants by Tata Tea Limited.
Sources said the ministry officials suggested that Mahanta should tone down his government's drive against the industry to avoid inviting its wrath.
Assam has 798 tea estates and the tea industry is the largest employer in the state. A major portion of the state's revenue comes from taxes imposed on the tea industry.
In 1990, the AGP government headed by Mahanta was dismissed primarily due to pressure from the powerful tea lobby in New Delhi.
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