For Centre & Assam to ensure peace: Bodoland panel chief

Five years after the Bodoland peace accord was signed in January 2020, the situation in Kokrajhar, once the hotbed of a separate Bodoland agitation, remains peaceful, however its sustainability will largely depend on the efforts of the Centre and the Assam Government, chief executive member of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Pramod Boro said.

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Bid to revive militancy won't work: Sarma

Despite reports of Pakistan’s ISI with the help of a section of Bangladeshi establishment trying to regroup and revive extremism in Assam, the plan won’t work as “there is no local support for such intentions... We will not lower our guard in checking infiltration,” said Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

He was addressing a gathering at an event to commemorate five years of the 2020 Bodo Peace Accord.

“Development is crucial in the region, considering that Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), which consists of five districts of Assam, is home to more than 23 tribal communities, of which Bodos are the largest. At the same time, it is important to be mindful of preserving tribal heritage, of which land is a key component,” he maintained.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma too said the BTR had land mass, but “we have to be careful because if industrialisation happens suddenly then there can be turmoil. Land cannot be acquired without taking them into confidence”.

Boro said how long “this fragile peace lasts will depend on the aspirations of the next generation”. On whether statehood would still be demanded, the plank on which the violent Bodoland agitation had first begun in 1987, Boro said aspirations were always there. “However, we don’t want violence and we also don’t want to support any such agitation,” he said, adding guns should be there only in the hands of defence personnel.