Former BAC EM seeks PM Modi's intervention in holding BTC election

KOKRAJHAR: Former Executive Member (EM) of erstwhile Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC) and present working president of Bodoland Janajati Suraksha Mancha (BJSM), DD Narzary on Monday sought immediate intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on holding of BTC election before the expiry of Governor's Rule on October 27, saying that the council election was being delayed in the name of COVID-19 pandemic but panchayat election or assembly elections in other States of the country were being held.

In a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India, the working president of the BJSM and former ABSU leader, DD Narzary said the Assam Government had already announced holding the BTC election on April 4 and accordingly different political parties had already filed their nomination papers. But the Assam Government surprisingly imposed Governor's Rule in BTC area without valid reasons and holding of BTC election was deferred.

Narzary said the Governor's Rule would expire in the last week of October and State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that holding of BTC election during the COVID-19 pandemic would greatly affect the State. With this view, Sarma has requested the State Election Commission in writing for not holding BTC election until the situation improved. This said Narzary, would mean extension of Governor's Rule for another six months, which was not desirable by the people of the area. He said during the past six months of Governor's

Rule, people of BTC area had not seen development activities and if Governor's Rule was further extended, the developmental works of BTC area might get hampered. He also said the ruling BJP party in Assam might be subjected to vehement criticism for seizing the democratic rights of the Bodos and other tribal people and playing dirty politics of divide and rule in BTC.

"When 'unlock' has already started since July, schools and colleges have opened now, markets are open and movement of people is not restricted, fear of transmission of COVID-19 from BTC districts to neighbouring districts is quite meaningless," he said, adding that it was nothing but a ploy to delay the election in BTC. He said that the Governor of Assam had issued notification in connection with the change of name from BTAD to BTR, vide notification no TAD/BC/227/2020/5 1-A dated September 28, 2020. This was clearly a case of the violation of the constitutional provisions because BTAD was created under the

Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India vide, the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution (Amendment) Act, 2003 (44 of 2003), S.2, he said. He also said that the Governor of Assam had issued notification no. HMA-19/14/2020-Political (A/PL.1V/25, dated September 28, 2020 in connection with the formation of Commission to re-demarcate the boundary of the so-called BTR when the Model Code of Conduct was already in force, issued in connection with the general elections to BTC. Therefore, the issuance of such notifications was infringement of Model Code of Conduct.

In the memorandum, Narzary said that it was the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee along with the then Home Minister LK Advani who created Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) comprising 3,082 villages and it was also agreed that additional 95 villages would be included to BTC by consensus. "If villages of BTC are excluded as per the 3rd Bodo Accord signed on January 27, 2020 it would surely tantamount to dishonouring the great image of the late former Prime Minister of India as well as the then Home Minister LK Advani, besides hurting the sentiment of the Bodo people," he said, adding that the Bodo people did not want any single village to be excluded from the existing BTC. He urged the Prime Minister of India for his intervention in the matter of holding BTC election before the expiry of Governor's Rule and thus establish the democratic rights of the people of BTC area.

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