KOKRAJHAR, Dec 6 ? Kokrajhar today witnessed a historic event as all the 2,641 members of militant outfit Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) laid down their arms before the Assam Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Ajai Singh, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and the Union Minister of State for Home, Swami Chinmayanand, to bring an end to an era of violence in the Bodo-dominated areas of Assam. Immediately thereafter, the BLT chief Hagrama Basumatary announced the disbanding of the BLT.
A festive atmosphere gripped Kokrajhar from early this morning as cross-sections of people from Kokrajhar and other parts of the State gathered at the Kokrajhar District Sports Association ground to witness the historic event of a militant outfit formally coming overground for the first time in Assam. The BLT cadres led by Basumatary and other cabinet members of the outfit, arrived at the venue dressed in battle fatigue in a procession amidst loud cheers from the people, and on behalf of the outfit, Hagrama Basumatary handed over an AK series rifle to the Chief Minister. He also ceremoniously brought down the BLT flag and hoisted a white flag to mark the occasion. The All Bodo Students union (ABSU) welcomed the BLT members back to the mainstream with traditional ?aronai?.
Addressing the gathering, the BLT chief, who will take over as the first Chief Executive Member of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) tomorrow, paid his respects to his former colleagues who made supreme sacrifices during the revolution and hoped that the formation of the BTC would bring in a new era of peace and development in this backward area of Assam. He gave an account of the struggle of the BLT from the day of its formation in 1996 and hoped that the Memorandum of Settlement signed between the Central and State governments and the BLT on February 10 this year for the creation of the BTC under the provisions of the amended Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, would be able to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of all sections of people living in the Council area.
Basumatary admitted that there were apprehensions of attacks from the militant outfits like the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) and appealed to the State government to ensure security to all sections of people living in the area. He also sought forgiveness from all sections of people for the mistakes committed by the BLT in the past.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister and the Union Minister of State for Home took the opportunity to appeal to all the militant outfits operating in the State to come overground to solve their problems through dialogue. Addressing the gathering, Gogoi said, ?Today is a historic day for Assam as the BLT members laid down arms to bring an end to their revolution and to start a new era of peace and development.? He said that now all the other militant outfits operating in Assam including the ULFA and the NDFB should follow in the footsteps of the BLT to come overground and solve their problems through dialogue. He said that if the militant outfits want development of Assam and its people, they should give up violence.
The Union Minister of State for Home Chinmayanand, in his speech, ensured security to the Bodos and said that the Central Government would do everything possible for the security of those who have come back to the mainstream by abjuring violence. He said that the Bodos were fighting for their rights since Independence and over the years, they remained backward, both economically and politically. He admitted that the Bodos were forced to take recourse to an unconstitutional path to fulfil their aspirations. He hoped that the creation of the BTC would bring in a new era of peace.
Swami Chinmayanand also appealed to all the militant groups to come forward for talks for the solution of their problems through talks and said, ?If the BLT can achieve their goal through negotiation, there is no reason why the other militant groups cannot achieve their objectives through talks.? He also assured all possible help from the Central Government for the development of the BTC area and said that immediate necessary steps would be taken for the inclusion of Bodo language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India for the development of the language.
The Governor said that the arms laid down by the BLT today would now be used against the enemies of the country. He said that after the formation of the BTC, the ball would be in the courts of the Bodo leaders to work for the development of the area. The ceremony to disband the BLT created widespread enthusiasm among the people of Kokrajhar and people flocked to the venue since early morning to witness the event. With the surrendered BLT cadres taking up a major part of the ground, some over enthusiastic people even went up to the rooftops of the nearby houses and trees to witness the event.