Over 600 United Bodo People Organization members to join BJP today

LAKHIMPUR: On the condition of forming the interim body of the Bodo Kachari Welfare Autonomous Council (BKWAC), as per the modality submitted by United Bodo People's Organization (UBPO), over 600 dignitaries and members of the organization, led by president Mihiniswar Basumatari, will formally join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday. On this occasion, a special joining programme will be organized at Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati in a befitting manner. In order to take part in this special event and to join the BJP, a large number of people of the Bodo community, led by the organization, set out to Guwahati by bus and train from 21 districts of the State outside BTC area.

Notably, UBPO has been struggling and initiating democratic agitation for the growth of socio-economic conditions and to safeguard the political, economic, academic and cultural rights of over 10 lakh Bodo people living outside the 6th Schedule area of the State since the day of its constitution on July 18, 2014 at Sanjari Nougore at Simen Chapori in Dhemaji district. During the last six years, UBPO, supported by other Bodo community organizations outside the then BTAD area, has been demanding for the formation of BKWAC, to grant tribal status to the Bodo people living in the hilly area of Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao, to enforce Forest Act, 2006 and to accord land pattas to the tribal people living in the forest areas, to rehabilitate the former leaders and cadres of the Bodoland Movement, to provincialize the non-provincialized LP schools of the Bodo medium, to establish separate directorate for Bodo medium, to resolve the Assam-Arunachal, Assam-Meghalaya inter-state border disputes under the intervention of the Union Government, to form Bodo Regiment like the Naga Regiment in order to ensure employment for 10,000 Bodo youths, and to establish television centres at Simen Chapori in Dhemaji district and at Sisupani in Golaghat district for the development of Bodo culture language and art.

The main demand of the organization for the formation of the BKWAC along with some other demands have been incorporated in the various sections of the 3rd Bodo Peace Accord (BTR), signed between the Union and State governments, ABSU, four units of NDFB and UBPO on January 27 in New Delhi. The formation of BKWAC is recommended in the 5.1 paragraph of the 5th section of the said Accord.

Notably, the ordinance adapted for the formation of the BKWAC could not be tabulated in the recent assembly session because of the hurdles posed by BJP's alliance party - BPF. However, as a result of a series of negotiations held between Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, State Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and UBPO, the cabinet meeting of the State Government decided to approve the said ordinance in order to pave the way for the formation of the BKWAC on Wednesday. The cabinet meeting also approved the ordinance which was adapted to recognize the Bodo language as the associate official language of Assam, fulfilling the State Government's commitment to the UBPO.

In the wake of this development, the UBPO dignitaries, in a crucial executive body meeting of the organization held in Guwahati on Wednesday, decided to join BJP raising a condition for the formation of the BKWAC as per the modality submitted by the organization.

Led by UBPO president Mihiniswar Basumatari and general secretary Anil Basumatari, a number of other dignitaries like vice-presidents Gambaru Musahari and Ratan Basumatari, assistant general secretary Bijendra Kumar Basumatari will join the BJP in the joining programme to be held at Sankardeva Kalakshetra.

Dhemaji unit UBPO president Manoranjan Basumatari, assistant general secretary Santala Goyari, Undivided Lakhimpur District BLT Cadre Welfare Association adviser Beauty Goyari, vice-president Bristiram Narzary along with a number of prominent Bodo organization leaders will join the BJP in the same event. A total of 90 UBPO dignitaries from Dhemaji, 20 each from Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh, 25 from Charaideu, 25 from Karbi-Anglong, 30 from Sonitpur, 25 each from Golaghat and Nagaon, 45 from Morigaon, 25 from Hohai, 22 from Kamrup (Rural), 45 from Kamrup (metro), 20 each from Dhubri, Barpeta, Goalpara, Bongaigaon, Nalbari and Darrang will join the saffron party in the same event along with many ex-BLT, ex-NDFB cadres.