GUWAHATI, Jan 5 — The future of the ongoing peace talks between the Government and militant outfit Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) will depend on the outcome of the tripartite meeting to be held at New Delhi on January 9 and 10. However, the BLT leaders are optimistic that something positive would come out in the scheduled meeting. Talking to The Assam Tribune here today, BLT vice chairman Kamal Mushahary and publicity secretary Mainao Daimary said that they received favourable signals from both the State and the Central Governments and ‘we hope that some positive results will come out of the next tripartite meeting.’ The ceasefire agreement between the Government and the BLT will come to an end on January 21 and the Bodo outfit had earlier demanded that a solution to the Bodo problem should come before that day. However, Sri Mushahary today said that the extension of ceasefire would depend entirely on the outcome of the next meeting and the BLT would decide its future course of action only after January 10. He pointed out that the peace talks between the Government and the BLT have been going on for the past two and half years, which, according to him, is a very long time. ‘Both the State and the Central Government should take positive steps for an immediate solution of the problem as there is no point in lingering the talks,’ he added.
The BLT vice-chairman said that recently they met the Chief Minister, Sri Tarun Gogoi and several of his senior party colleagues and ‘the Chief Minister assured us that the State Government will take all necessary steps for an amicable solution of the Bodo problem.’ He said that the steps need to be taken by the State Government include giving clearance to form the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, demarcation of the area of the BTC and reorganisation of the districts to form four contiguous districts. He also said that in the next round of tripartite talks, the BLT would put pressure on the Central and State Governments to submit a draft of the proposed agreement. The BLT vice chairman pointed out that the outfit came down from the original demand for a separate State to a package for the overall development of the proposed BTC area. The package includes formation of a BTC under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, inclusion of Bodo language under the 8th Schedule of the Constitution, an economic package for the development of the BTC area, setting up of a Central University and technical education colleges etc. The BLT has given proposal to the Central Government seeking Rs 500 crore a year for the economic development of the BTC areas. ‘The development of the BTC area will benefit not only the Bodos but all sections of people living in the area,’ he pointed out.
Commenting on the apprehension expressed by certain organisations over the security of the non-Bodos living in the proposed BTC area, the BLT publicity secretary, Sri Mainao Daimary asserted that the non-Bodos should not be apprehensive and the democratic rights of all sections of people would be secured in the BTC. He said that if anyone feels insecured, he can directly talk to the BLT leaders. He alleged that an organisation named the Ana Boro Suraksha Samiti was trying to create confusion in the minds of the people over the formation of the BTC. He also alleged that most of the leaders of the organisation are not from the proposed BTC area and ‘there is no point giving importance to their views.’ He also said ‘recently the Adivashi Students’ Association demanded rehabilitation of the people still living in relief camps in Kokrajhar districts. We have already put pressure on the Central and the State Governments to take steps for the rehabilitation of the relief camp inmates.