Bodo groups wary of NDFB-S militants

Guwahati: Rivalry among prominent Bodo civil society players have come to the fore in the wake of recent killings of Adivasi villagers by National Demo-cratic Front of Bodoland (Songbijit faction).
Bodo political party, Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), which is in the seat of power in Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council, has accused influential All Bodo Students’ Union of instigating and providing protection to NDFB-S militants.
The BPF leader and the chief executive member of the BTC, Hagrama Mohilary, a former militant leader of the now disbanded Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT), has accused that the ABSU has been providing protection to the NDFB-S cadres and maintaining close relation with the NDFB-S which killed so many Adivasi villagers in Kokrajhar and Sonitpur districts of Assam on December 23 last.
The BPF also blamed pro-talks faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland led by Gobinda Basumatary or the NDFB (Prog-ressive) for maintaining close links with NDFB-S.
But the charge has been vehemently denied by the NDFB (P), which has been engaged in a peace process with the Government of India.
On the other All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) president Promode Bodo has lambasted the BPF leader Hagrama Mohilary for daring to link ABSU’s name with the NDFB-S.
The president of the ABSU which is the most influential civil society organisation in the BTC area said the BPF chief allegation of nexus between the ABSU and the NDFB-S was an attempt to cover up the BPF’s own relations with the NDFB-S.
The ABSU has been very critical of the BPF regime in the BTC for its failure to deliver for the overall interests of the people of Bodoland though the party has remained in power in the autonomous council since its inception.
The ABSU is known to be closer to BPF’s arch rival Bodoland People’s Progressive Front (BPPF) led by U G Brahma, a former ABSU president and a former MP.
The BPF leader Hagrama further stated that NDFB-S has tarnished the image of Bodo community before the world and non-Bodo communities by resorting to such dastardly killing of innocent Adivasi people.
However, a security source pointed out that not only NDFB-S, but all other Bodo militant outfits inclu-ding the other factions of the NDFB, now disbanded Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) whose leaders formed the political party BPF after signing Bodo Peace Accord in 2003 were notorious for killing innocent non-Bodo people living in BTC areas.