OUR CORRESPONDENT
KOKRAJHAR: At a time when the UPPL (United People's Party Liberal)-led coalition government in BTC is preparing for grand celebration of 1st BTR Accord Day on January 27 in Udalguri, the Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Mancha (BJSM) on Saturday announced that they would observe 'Black Day' on that day.
In a statement, the working president of the BJSM, DD Narzary said that the BJSM would observe black day on January 27 as the BTR accord had finished off the dream of separate Bodoland state. He said that they would observe black day in the villages by lighting lamps and shouting slogans against the anti-Bodo and anti-tribal BTR accord. He reiterated that the then All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) president Pramod Boro had sold the statehood demand of the Bodos and had forgotten the sacrifice of thousands of Bodo youths for the same cause for his political ambition.
Narzary said that the BTR accord was signed with all factions of the NDFB along with the ABSU and UBPO (United Bodo People's Organization) but despite this fact, the founder chairman of the NDFB, Ranjan Daimary was put in jail. He said the Government of India had released even anti-India elements from jail but Ranjan Daimary, who is a son of the soil of Assam, was still in jail despite signing the 3rd Bodo accord. Narzary demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who would be attending the grand celebration of 1st BTR Accord Day at Kokrajhar on Sunday, should announce release of Ranjan Daimary from jail. He also demanded that the pending cases against all NDFB leaders and cadres should be withdrawn and they should be released from jail.
Narzary even criticized the government and said that instead of giving land pattas to indigenous communities in Ultapani and Saralpara along Indo-Bhutan border, the government opened fire on the people recently in Saralpara. He said the government should provide land pattas to indigenous people and not to immigrants.