Udalguri, Dec. 5: The banned National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) struck a discordant note on the eve of the formation of the interim Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), describing it as an exercise in futility. The militant group, which, along with the Ulfa, has been a major source of worry for Dispur, said December 6 would go down in history as the day a group of ?opportunists? surrendered the Bodo dream before Delhi.
The BTC was envisaged in the February 10 accord between the NDFB?s rival, the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT), and Dispur and Delhi. The interim council will be constituted on Sunday, while nearly 2,500 BLT militants will formally bid farewell to arms at a ceremony in Kokrajhar tomorrow.
The NDFB, however, warned the people against rallying behind the council. The militant group said the new administrative set-up would surely work against the interests of the Bodo community. ?The BTC will empower only the submissive BLT leaders and a few other opportunists to go against the NDFB, the real force of the Boro people, in full scale, and thereby undermine the interests of the Boro people. The much-publicised, so-called ?victory day? to be held on December 6-7 will go down in Boro history as a shameful day.?
The NDFB declared that it had nothing to do with the council and would not change its mind about it in future. ?The BTC is an official machinery for the protection of the non-Boros? interests. It is a tool to deceive the Boro people. It is a conspiracy against the Boro people hatched long before by the fraudulent BLT leaders and the Indian government. No purpose of the Boro people will be served by the BTC. Only the opportunist few, including the BLT leaders, will be benefited by the creation of the undemocratic interim council of the BTC.?
On the surrender of 21 of its members recently, the NDFB said it was relieved rather than annoyed. ?Good riddance. We are rather happy to get rid of such weak members. In the course of our struggle for the freedom of Boro people, the NDFB will come across many such incidents which will rather purify the organisation and provide a renewed strength to carry on its struggle. The opportunists have also intensified their campaign to malign the image of the NDFB with false propaganda.?
The NDFB came into being as the Bodo Security Force in 1989 under the leadership of Ranjan Daimari. This well-organised and well-trained outfit with over 900 cadre is fighting to secure an ?independent Bodo nation? north of the Brahmaputra. It also has a ?working arrangement? with the NSCN (I-M).
The Bodos, a major tribe of the plains, have been demanding better social, political and economic conditions since Independence. There has been a long history of tension between the Bodos and the Assamese communities.