The National Democratic Front of Bodoland Progressive (NDFBP) has diluted its demand for statehood to that for a Union Territory. Govind Basumutiary’s outfit is however only one of the various Bodo organizations demanding statehood. The NDFBP has been in talks with the Centre for the past seven years. The Bodo areas on the north bank of the Brahmaputra are fighting for autonomy under the sixth schedule of the Constitution. The area is at present administered by the autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) most of whose members are from the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) which is an ally of the Congress-led government in Assam. The Bodos are unhappy about the fact that the BTC does not allow autonomy to go down to the grassroots.
Basumutiary has attacked BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary and asked him to quit the Congress-led coalition. He says that the BPF is not in a position to negotiate with the government in Dispur as it belongs to the ruling alliance. More importance should be attached to belligerent groups like the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU). The demand for a Bodo state does not originate from resentment at economic disparity. It stems from the need for recognition of the Bodo tribal identity. The Bodos were not part of the Assamese population under British rule and were only later integrated with Assamese society. Basumutiary’s statement climbing down to the demand for a Union Territory carries weight as it comes shortly before Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s proposed talks with the ABSU. The question is: whether it is statehood or Union Territory, does it not mean bifurcation of Assam?