GOYBARI (BASUGAON), Feb 22 — Six struggling Bodo organisations in a joint delegates sitting held on the occasion of Golden Jubilee of Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS) here today denounced ‘motivated propaganda‘launched by certain non-Bodo organisations against creation of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) to solve the vexed Bodo political problem.
In a resolution adopted in the meeting, which was attended by representatives of BSS, ABSU, All Bodo Employees Federation (ABEF), All Bodo Women Welfare Association (ABWWA), Bodo Writers Academy (BWA) and DuBAA, called upon non-Bodos living in proposed BTC area not be influenced by such motivated campaign of vested interests while assuring that rights of non-Bodos would be fully protected in the BTC. They observed that such motivated campaign against formation of BTC was aimed at creating communal tension among different communities living in BTC areas. The Bodo groups expressed their gratitude to Assam goverment for taking a Cabinet resolution in support of formation of the BTC and exhorted upon the Central government to expedite the process of formation of the tribal council under amended Sixth Schedule of Indian Constitution through early demarcation of the boundary of the council. They also demanded alongwith formation of the BTC under the Sixth Schedule, the Bodos living in Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council areas and another tribal councils in the State should be accorded Schedule Tribe status.
In another significant resolution, the joint delegates session today decided to constitute a sub-committee to design a national emblem for Bodos. The Bodo groups further demanded that Bodo language should be included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India as they felt that present status of Bodo language and literature fulfilled all the requisite criteria that were essential for a Eighth Schedule language. They also demanded that Sahitya Akademy should recognise and register Bodo language at the earliest while resolving to move the authority concerned to open full-fledged Bodo language departments in Gauhati and Dibrugarh Universities of Assam. The delegates sitting expressed grave concern over failure of Government of Assam to publish and provide Bodo language textbooks to Bodo medium students in time causing irreparable damage to the prospects of Bodo students.
The BSS, therefore, resolved that a separate Bodo Textbooks Production and Publication Board be formed on its own effort for publishing Bodo textbooks prepared and approved by SEBA, Higher Secondary Council and SCERT. Thousands of people today thronged the BSS session being held at Jwhwlao Swmbla Fwthar at Goybari at Basugaon in Kokrajhar district of Assam. Meanwhile, hundreds of Bodo volunteers this morning did a splendid job in reconstructing the entire BSS session complex which was ravaged by a storm last evening causing extensive damage to it. However, the storm failed to make Bodo volunteers lose their hearts as they worked overtime since last night to reconstruct the BSS session site before beginning of morning proceedings.