ABSU appeals PM Modi to solve Bodoland issue

The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) has appealed the BJP led NDA government at centre under the Prime Ministership of Narendra Modi to adopt a policy in the forth coming monsoon session of parliament for peaceful solution of the Bodoland Issue.

In a statement, ABSU president Promod Boro said that the students union reaffirms to continue its democratic mass movement for lasting solution of the issue. He said that slogans of the Government for mere economic and infrastructure development cannot fulfill the ethnic aspiration and preservation of the identity and culture of the Bodo people and we strongly believe that the creation of Bodoland state will be the only solution to ensure the protection of identity and culture of the Bodo community.

The Union is organizing a National Level consultation within July at national capital on the issue and launching a series of movement programmes on the demand which is going to be publicizing through regional and national press on 7^th July 2016 to be held at Guwahati under the aegis of National Federation for New State (NFNS).

The ABSU on the 29^th Martyrs Day of Bodoland movement today organized a rally at Tamulpur in Baksa. The ABSUpay homage to 1^st martyr Sujit Narjary a class X students who had killed on 12^th June in the year 1987 while returning from a mass rally at judge field Guwahati on demand of Bodoland and all the martyr of Bodoland Movement since 1987. ‘In the entire movement we have lost more than 5000 lives in last 4 decades. ABSU observing the day since 1987 as a memorable day and will continue it till the Bodo society stay alive in the world. Alike any other movement for survival and protection the Bodoland movement is also one which has build an awareness on protection of  identity, land, language and culture, to live with dignity of life as a citizen of the country and the universe through struggle, he said.

The Bodoland movement had played a role of eye opener for the downtrodden communities and the marginalized Tribes in the region to live with honour and all sorts of protections under the constitution of the country. The movement has provided enough evidences about the discrimination, exploitation and suppression of the ruling class people of the same country and state on the underprivileged section of the society. ‘It has been experienced that the largest tribal community (Bodo) of the NE region has been surviving because of movement only. If there has been no movement the marginalized group of people like Bodos have been vanished for aggressive assimilation and systematic exploitation, the Absu president said. The ABSU president said the longest constitutions of the largest democratic country of the world failed to provide the right and justice to the indigenous people in the 68 years of Independence. ‘The legitimate demand and genuine issues of the people has been pending and kept unaddressed for which Bodos has no alternative way to protect the identity and culture other than vigorous mass movement, he said adding that ‘the Union government has created numbers of new states after independence at different time only for the political gain of the ruling party of that particular time which is too much injustice on the part of the Bodos and other statehood aspiring and deserving people of the country.

Stating that the  Bodoland movement is not a new movement, it has already been completed 4 decades and as a result the movement witnessed the formation of two arrangements i.e. BAC in 20^th February 1993 and BTC in 10^th February 2003, he said ‘but none of the arrangement could accommodate the aspiration of the people nor could ensure the protection of different values of the community for survival with a distinct identity. Thus the movement is still going in a vigorous mode as the government has not taken any resolution for permanent solution of the unsolved Bodoland issue.

 He stated that the ABSU restarted the third face of Bodoland movement from the year 2010 and the then UPA government organized series of tripartite talk with the struggling organizations in the year 2013 and 2014 but didn’t adopted any policy for permanent solution of the issue. ‘On the other hand, the Union  Supported BJP led NDA in 2014 General Election as they (BJP) assured and included for solution of the Bodo issue as one of the point in their election manifesto (Additional). But sorry to say in last two years they didn’t take up any pragmatic initiative to resolve the issue, he said.   

He also stated that the NDFB (P) is also under ceasefire agreement since 2005 for permanent solution of the Bodoland Issue, as we have noticed, there have been several rounds of talks in bureaucratic level but no any talk has been arranged in political level for permanent solution of the issue.  

Leaders from various organizations including former Lo Sabha MP Sansuma Kunggur Bwiswmuthiary and NDFB-P general secretary Gobinda Basumatary were also present.