From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Even as the UPA government has endorsed creation of a Telangana State bifurcating the present State of Andhra Pradesh, it should also gear up to tackle a spell of intensive agitation by the Bodo tribe to press for their long-standing demand for a separate Bodoland State.
As people from the proposed Telangana State are rejoicing over the victorious culmination of their stir, the Bodo tribe in Assam has decided to rekindle their dormant stir for a Bodoland State to be carved out of present State of Assam.
The All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) president Promode Boro warned that the Bodo people would resort to intensive agitation in case the Centre continued to ignore the demand for a Bodoland state even when it was preparing to create a State of Telangana.
The ABSU leader said that the Central government had been repeatedly ignoring the demand of Bodo tribe in Assam for a separate Bodoland State while referring to creation of three States of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chattishgarh in the year 2000 and now Telangana.
The union has called for 12-hour Railway blockade on August 2 next and 60 hours Assam bandh from 5 A.M of August 5 to 5 P.M. of August 7.
The ABSU has threatened to launch more intensive agitation after the Id festival and that may include calling for economic blockade for 1000 hours.
The Bodos in Assam have been demanding a separate state since 1987.
There have been spells of both non-violent and militant movements in Assam since 1987 till early part of last decade by Bodo tribe to press for their demand.
They were granted Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Council (BTC) under the amended Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in 2003.
The BTAC is now being ruled by Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), a political party formed by former Bodoland Liberation Tiger (BLT) militants. The BPF is also an ally of ruling Congress in Assam.
The BPF too has also called upon the Centre to treat the demand for a separate Bodoland State at par with that for a Telangana State.
The president of the BPF, Hagrama Mohilary said a separate Bodoland was the ultimate dream for any member of Bodo tribe in Assam.
The BTC executive council has demanded if the issue of creation of Telangana is placed before the Parliament then the demand for Bodoland State should also be placed in the same way.
The BPF is too is taking to agitation course to press for the demand for a separate Bodoland State.