Former MP to move Centre for fresh dialogue on Bodoland statehood issue

Our Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR: The conveners’ committee on the special convention of all the former fraternity of ABSU, Bodo civil society and all the participants of the convention held at PWD Guest House, Kokrajhar recently, condemned the abominable, malicious and misleading statements made against former Lok Sabha MP SK Bwiswmuthiary, who is also former president of ABSU, by ABSU president Dipen Boro during his press meet held at Bodofa House recently.

In a press meet held at Kokrajhar on Tuesday, Bwiswmuthiary said the allegations brought by Dipen Boro against him over the BAC Accord and his position as MP were totally baseless and misleading. He said for the 1993 BAC Accord, Bwiswmuthiary was not the only signatory or party to that accord but he took all stakeholders into confidence before signing agreement. He said Dipen Boro should have asked some of his leaders and colleagues who had also played crucial roles in the 1993 Accord. “It was a transparent and collective decision involving people from the ABSU, BPAC, Volunteer Force, ABWWF and the whole Bodo society. Also there was a world of difference between 1993 and 2020 in terms of socio-political situation. Let me draw a historical parallel from the Indian national movement. Even Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress only wanted some limited concessions and not full independence from the British government during the initial years,” he said, adding that in a similar sense, the 1993 accord was a foundation for a future state of Bodoland.

He said it was also sort of a temporary tactical retreat in the face of extreme repression from the Assam Government of that time but the 2020 accord should have built upon the achievements of previous accords and should have been more significant and upgraded. “Unfortunately, it is a big disappointment and the leadership of the ABSU squandered a golden opportunity to at least bargain for a Union Territory or an autonomous state,” he said and added that instead they hijacked the peace agreement of the NDFB, appropriated it, and got it declared as a final and comprehensive agreement while trying to deceive the public.

Bwiswmuthiary questioned as to why the leadership of the ABSU, especially Promod Boro, did not take him and other members of the Bodo civil society into confidence before signing the Accord. He questioned as to who gave them the moral authority to surrender and abandon the demand for a separate state of Bodoland and why the accord was signed so hurriedly.

The former MP said that ABSU president Dipen Boro ought to be honest to realize what kind of ‘Himalayan blunder’ had been committed by his predecessor, Promod Boro by way of signing the 3rd Bodo Accord arbitrarily without keeping the Bodo civil society and the senior Bodo leaders into confidence.

Also Read: The National Alliance for People’s Movement (NAPM)backs Bodoland statehood demand

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