Maidangshrinwgwr (Kokrajhar), Feb. 16: After successfully anchoring the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) to a new accord, the All-Bodo Students’ Union (Absu) today volunteered to help the banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) start a dialogue with the Centre.
Addressing the open session of the three-day 35th annual conference of the students’ organisation, its president Rabiram Narzary said, “This is the right time for the NDFB to come forward for negotiations. The gun culture of the Bodo heartland should come to a permanent end before the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) takes charge.”
Narzary said the Absu, which played the crucial role in mobilising support for the negotiations between the Centre and the BLT, would offer “all possible help” to the NDFB if it showed the inclination to start a peace process. He hoped the organisation would be able to convince the militant outfit to come to the negotiation table.
The Absu formally announced the end of its movement for statehood, which had been revived in February 1996, as a corollary to the signing of the new accord between the BLT and the Centre and the Assam government.
Narzary, re-elected president of the Absu during the conference, said the influential students’ organisation would play the role of a “watchdog” to ensure that the new accord was implemented in letter and spirit. “The Absu will play an important role in the formation of a political party to manage the new administrative set-up and fulfil the political aspirations of the Bodo people.”
The Absu chief disclosed that the process of forming this political party would begin immediately after threadbare discussions among all Bodo organisations.
Rajya Sabha member Urkhao Gwra Brahma said the biggest challenge for the BLT was to convince all sections of the people that they are in safe hands.
On opposition to the new accord from a section of non-Bodo organisations, both he and Narzary asked the people to be vigilant against such “divisive forces”. The Absu president said the new accord had turned the Bodos into the “ruling class”, but it did not imply repression of other communities.
“As the ruling class, the Bodos will, however, have to learn to remove any kind of doubt and apprehension in the minds of each and every tribe and community,” he said.
One of the guest speakers at the session was Ranjit Sekhar Mushahary, director-general of the elite National Security Guards (NSG).
“With the signing of a new accord, the era of destruction came to an end. It is now time to start a new revolution for peace and prosperity and make the BTC the role-model for development,” he said.
State health minister Bhumidhar Barman represented the government at the open session.
Though everything seems to be going according to plan, the main question of who will lead the interim BTC has yet to be answered. BLT leaders today went into a huddle at their chairman Hagrama Basumatary’s temporary base near the venue of the conference.
Sources in the BLT said a decision would be taken after taking into confidence representatives of all Bodo organisations.