by Preetam BC (PNI)

Kokrajhar : Shouts of “Divide Assam 50/50”, “We want Bodoland”, “No Bodoland No Rest” reverberated in the air as nearly a lakh people gathered today at Rowta Chariali in Udalguri district at the mass gathering in support of solution of Bodoland issue andWithdrawal of The Constitution Scheduled Tribe Order (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
The gathering was organised by the influential All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) and its movement group like the National Democratic Front of Boroland –Progressive (NDFB-P) and People’s Joint Action Committee for Boroland Movement (PJACBM).

The Bodo organizations demand also includes ensure political & land rights to the Bodos living outside of the proposed Bodoland, ST Hills Status to the Bodos of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao, stop exploitation, oppression, domination and discrimination on the existing 14 ST communities of Assam.

Addressing the gathering, ABSU president Pramod Boro criticized the double standard attitude of the BJP led NDA government towards resolving the long-standing demand for creation of Bodoland state.

“The demand for creating Bodoland state in the northern part of the Brahmaputra curving out from Assam as per the Article 2 & 3 of constitution of India has been going on for the last fifty-two years. The state and the union governments though having series of dialogue with the Bodo leadership is apparently seemed to be holding dialogue only for the ‘sake of mere discussion’ like game of duck and drake just to dupe the counter parts without having any political willingness, pragmatic step and clear-cut policy-decision to resolve the issue, Boro said.

“Many a times we have tried our level best to remind the BJP leadership about their verbal as well as written commitment (Election Manifesto of 2014) that they would resolve the Bodo problem immediately if they would be voted to form government in Delhi. We are surprised that the BJP government has totally forgotten their promises which we therefore condemn this act of their treachery, he added.

The influential student leader said the BJP leadership instead of fulfilling the Bodoland State has heavily bull-dodged on the existing ST communities of Assam by bringing an unexpected bill to grant ST status to 6 communities. “The Bill is a serious threat to the very existence of the existing ST communities of Assam and if the Bill is passed and made an Act the existing STs will be totally crushed down socially, politically and economically, he said.

The student leader stated that despite of being turned down for as many as 8 times by the RGI as well as the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes not having the criteria to fulfill for being recognized as ST the BJP government has adamantly all set to grant ST to those communities.

“The ulterior motive behind the bill is purely political motivated, i. e.  to harvest the 1.5 crore votes but not the intention of socio-economic development of the concerned communities. How can the advanced communities with large number of population and the migrant people who do not fulfill the criteria for being ST be granted ST status? The bill is completely unconstitutional, illegal, discriminatory and unjustified, he said and demanded immediate withdrawal of “The Constitution Scheduled Tribe Order (Amendment) Bill, 2019”.