Hundreds of students union activists, movement group members from PJACBM and NDFB (P) joined hands with banner, placards in the Maha Dharna programme seeking early creation of separate Bodoland state and Political Right to the Bodos living outside the proposed Bodoland at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Monday.
Agitated movement group members from All Bodo Students Union(ABSU), PJACBM,NDFB(P) shouted slogans-‘No Bodoland, No Rest, We want justice, Jan Denge Raj Lenge’ which wave to the sky in the heart of New Delhi, demanded early solution of long standing demand of Bodoland issue through political dialogue.
The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), National Democratic Front of Boroland (P) and Peoples Joint Action Committee for Boroland Movement (PJACBM) have jointly organized the Maha Dharna in Jantar Mantar, New Delhi the national capital of the country. The organizations jointly completed series of Movement Programmes for the demands,which included-resolve the Boro people’s demand for creating Bodoland state immediately,ensure political right to the Bodos living outside the proposed Bodoland Area, Protect, Preserve and safeguard the identity of the Boro and other tribal people with language, culture and tradition by creating Bodoland state and want justice to live with dignity and honour in our inherited land, the movement group said.
The Boro people, an indigenous people of India living in Assam for being victimized to socio-economic exploitation, suppression, oppression and political domination are at threat of total extinction. Even after70 years of India’s independence the state has failed to protect, Preserve and safeguard the land, identity, language and culture of the Boro people. Boro people are very much part of the great Indian community and are loyal to the Constitution of India.
The Boro people want to live with dignity and honour under the provision of the Constitution of India. For that purpose the Boro people launched their movement for Socio-Political right in 1967. The All Bodo Students Union, the vibrant young force of the Boro people launched its first phase of movement for Bodoland state in 1987. The Government of India signed two Bodo accords in the name of resolving to the Bodo people’s demand. But both of the Bodo Accords could not fulfill the political aspiration and also could not address the fundamental questions of the Boro people. For which the Bodo community has been fighting democratically after these two accords with a fortitude and indomitable spirit to achieve the goal. The National Democratic Front of Boroland (Progressive), an armed militant organization, which signed a truce, has been negotiating with the Government on the issue of creating Boroland state under the provision of Article 2 & 3 of the Constitution of India since 2005. They had 14 rounds of tripartite talks but there was no progress. The Government of India wants to resolve the armed struggle from the point of view of law and order situation, which is based on wrong conception. The armed struggle germinated and flared up on the political issue. It is the political problem and should be resolved politically. There will be no permanent solution if the Government of India makes an attempt to resolve it as mere a Law & order problem. The political demand will remain unresolved even if the armed struggle is resolved from the point of law and order situation and recurrence of armed struggle will resume one day or other. Therefore, the attitude of the Government of India in regards to objective of the genesis of the armed struggle should change. The ABSU and other allied groups which launched the third phase of movement demanding to create Bodoland state has had fifth rounds of formal talk so far with the Government of India. However, talk has no progress at all for lackadaisical attitude of the present BJP led NDA government.
The BJP promised both written (manifesto) and verbal that they would resolve the Boro problem immediately if they could come to power in New Delhi. They were voted to power and their regime in Delhi is more than two and half years now. However, the fact is that there is no initiative to materialize their promise. They have stopped the very continuity of dialogue, which apparently means the regime is not willing to resolve the problem.
As per the recommendation of State Reorganization Commission formed in 1953, headed by late Fazal Ali, the Rtd. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Government of India created new states on the basis of language. Later the Government of India’s view in regards to creation of new states is seen to be changing time and again as such – to do away with the regional disparity of socio-economic development or political obligation or to resolve the political turmoil of the region etc. etc. Many new states have been created under those grounds, latest being the creation of Telangana state. But now Government of India has started to reject all those reasons for creating new states just to deny many aspirants for having state. The present NDA government is seen to be trying to befool the people by alluring with economic development as an option to solution of political problem.
Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad, the honourable Minister of Law and Justice, Government of India, at a public meeting in Maharastra made a statement that the BJP has not given up the policy of creating new states. Yoga Guru Ramdev, one of the ideologues of the Hinduism has recently made a statement in Darjeeling that more states should be created on the basis of language. Why has the Government of India not created Boroland state under any grounds applied in creating other states if the BJP has not dropped the creation of new state from its party policy? For protection of identity and language with cultural heritage and also to live with dignity and honour the creation of Bodoland state under the provision of Article 2 & 3 of the constitution of India is a must and Yoga Guru Ramdev’s opinion should be taken into consideration.
The Bodo People will never put up with the historical injustice meted out to them by the ruling cliques of Assam since the inception of administration after Independence of the country on the 15th August, 1947 and after observing the dubious role of Narendra Modi led BJP Government for two and half years the movement organizations ABSU , PJACBM etc. have completed six phases of democratic mass movement from August 30(2016) just to remind the government on the demand of policy decision on the long pending Bodo issue.
The joint movement group of Bodoland State had organized 5-hours National Highway Blockade on August 30 last followed by Economic Shut down, Engine Bandh, 12-hours Railway Bandh, Torch Rally and Cycle Rally till December 2 and now we have three days peaceful democratic movement in New Delhi, the national capital on the same demand from December 12 to 14.
The ABSU and its allied organizations announce its series of movement programme for the new year 2017, which included 24-hours national highway blockade in January, indefinite hunger strike in February, 36-hours rail blockade in March, jail bharo agitation in April,non-cooperation with state government in May next and series of movement programmes would be continued unless the government resolves the Bodoland issue.
Promod Boro,president of ABSU said that the students union has been demanding solution of Bodoland state issue through political dialogue since five decades back to meet health administration in the region. He has urged the government of India to create early Bodoland separate state under Article 2 & 3 of Indian constitution.
‘We appeal the Government of India to come forward with a pragmatic policy decision on the Bodoland Issue as it has already elapsed almost half century through agitation of different nature, which has taken a toll of more than five thousand lives’,said Boro.
Former Rajya Sabha MP Urkhao Gwra Brahma,Govinda Basumatary, Secretary General NDFB(P)Baba RK Tomar, former president of National Federation for Smaller States, Roshan Giri, General Secretary, Gorkha Mukti Morcha were prominent speakers on the day.
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