OUR CORRESPONDENT
KOKRAJHAR: The All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) on Wednesday said that the newly-floated militant outfit should understand that armed movement was no longer relevant in the present context and it should co-operate with the governments of India and Assam to implement the clauses of the BTR Accord in letter and spirit.
In a statement, the president and general secretary of the ABSU, Dipen Boro and Khanindra Basumatary respectively, said that they had learnt that a new armed organization named National Liberation Front of Boroland (NLFB) had been formed recently at an unidentified location. Sources also revealed that some former members of the NDFB had formed this organization by returning to the jungle. They said that in this context, the ABSU appealed to the members of the newly-formed organization to return to their own homes by shunning the path of violence as early as possible as working under somebody's dictate and propaganda could never can be a wise decision.
"We must keep patience and faith as the Central and State governments are playing a dynamic role in implementation of all the clauses of the BTR Accord. Armed movement is no longer relevant now, our issues and problems can be resolved through discussion by way of democratic and peaceful means. We also salute all former members of the NDFB who have joined the mainstream for establishing permanent peace by laying arms after the peace accord. Hence, our brothers and sisters must avoid this path of conflict and violent thinking. All are urged to come back for building a peaceful and healthy society as nationalist members of the community and become respectful citizens after long years of struggle for the society," the statement added.
ABSU leaders said the BTR Accord was signed on January 27, 2020 with four groups of the NDFB, ABSU and UBPO for the greater interest of the Bodo people by resolving long-pending political issues for establishing permanent peace and speedy development in the region. He said that many clauses of the Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) had already been implemented and the remaining clauses were in process under the bold initiative of the Central and State governments. He also said that withdrawal of cases of the former members of the NDFB by establishing a special court was under process, rehabilitation package had been given to 1,279 former NDFB members with continuation of their stipend and remaining were under official process. Ex-gratia to martyr families had been initiated and the condition to release all the members of the NDFB from various jails of Assam, India and abroad was under discussion as per legal procedure.