Tripartite pact signed with Bodo outfits

Key points of accord

• 1,550 militants belonging to the NDFB will lay down their arms on January 30

• A Rs1,500-crore economic programme will be implemented in three years with equal contribution by the Centre and Assam Government

• The existing structure of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) will be strengthened with more powers and its seats increased from 40 to 60

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 27

Aiming to usher in lasting peace in Bodo insurgency-affected areas in Assam, the Centre and the state government today signed a tripartite agreement with all four factions of insurgent group National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) and two other outfits while keeping the territorial integrity of Assam intact.

As the signing of the accord took place here in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, both the Centre and the state governments have agreed to provide additional political and economic benefits to Bodo tribes without acceding to their demand for a separate state or Union Territory.

The All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU), which has been spearheading a movement for a Bodoland state since 1972, and the United Bodo People’s Organisation (UBPO) were also signatories to the Comprehensive Bodo Settlement Agreement.

The tripartite agreement was signed by top leaders of the four NDFB factions, the ABSU and the UBPO; Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry Satyendra Garg; and Assam Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also signed the pact as one of the witnesses.

Soon after the agreement was signed, PM Narendra Modi said it would usher in a new dawn of peace, harmony and togetherness. “Today is a very special day for India. The accord with Bodo groups, which has been inked today, will lead to transformative results for the Bodo people,” he said in one of the tweets, while noting: “It successfully brings together the leading stakeholders under one framework. Those who were previously associated with armed resistance groups will now be entering the mainstream and contributing to our nation’s progress.”

The Home Minister described the pact as “historic” and said it would bring permanent solution to the decades-old problems of the Bodo people. “This agreement will facilitate all-round development of Bodo areas, their language and culture will be protected without compromising the territorial integrity of Assam,” he told reporters.

The Assam CM said various communities in the state would now be able to live together in harmony, thereby laying the foundation for a bright future, fulfilling aspirations of the people.

Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said as per the accord, 1,550 militants belonging to the NDFB would lay down their arms on January 30; an economic programme of Rs 1,500 crore would be implemented over the next three years with equal contribution of Rs 750 crore each from the Central and state governments. Around 1,550 cadres of NDFB(P), NDFB(RD) and NDFB(S) would be rehabilitated, he added.

Sarma said the existing structure of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) would be strengthened with more powers and its seats would be expanded from 40 to 60. For this, a commission would be set up for inclusion of Bodo-dominated villages in the BTC and exclusion of those where Bodos are not in majority.

The name of BTAD will be changed to Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) and it will have more executive, administrative, legislative and financial powers. The Assam Government will soon notify Bodo language in Devanagari script as an associate official language of the state.

This happens to be the third Bodo accord to be signed in 27 years.