Politics / Assam

Q What is your reaction to the signing of the Bodo Territorial Council?

A My happiness doesn?t require any specific elaboration. The way the agreement was signed was really satisfactory.




Now we are looking forward to the formation of the interim council by next week.





Q In what way will the BTC bring about changes in the lives of the Bodos?




A We are hopeful of positive changes. Everything that has been incorporated in the council will bring about a sea-change in various aspects. The fact that the Bodo language will be incorporated in the Eighth Schedule is a landmark achievement for the...

For the battle-weary Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) cadre ensconced in their designated camps, the ?cause? is nearing culmination and the countdown has begun for a new ?happier, freer life?.





Ever since the ground rules of the ceasefire agreement were formulated in 2000, Bodo Liberation Tigers cadre ? numbering more than 3,000 ? have remained confined to their respective camps waiting for orders from the leadership.





?We are optimistic that this round of talks will be fruitful and the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) will materialise in the Bodo heartland,? 28-year-old Lwaba Islary of...

New Delhi, Feb. 10: For the first time in the decadeslong history of armed struggle of the Bodo tribals in Assam, the Centre, through a memorandum of settlement (MoS), today gave constitutional recognition to a virtual Bodo homeland in the northeastern state.

This requires an amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution which will done through an enactment in Parliament. Thus the Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) gains a constitutional recognition for the first time unlike its predecessor, the now defunct Bodo Autonomous Council (BAC) which was created by an enactment of the Assam Assembly...

GUWAHATI, Feb 10 ? The signing of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) agreement among the Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT), Central government and the State Government is set to mark the beginning of an intensive agitation by non-Bodo organisations in Lower Assam. The non-Bodo organisations under the united banner ?Sanmilita-Janagosthiya Sangram Samity (SJSS)? have threatened to jeopardise creation of the BTC which they claim aimed at appeasing a section of minority Bodo community in the Lower Assam areas.

The SJSS has taken exception to the creation of the BTC by the government without...

NEW DELHI, Feb 10 ? The decade-long armed struggle by the Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) came to an end here today with the militant outfit signing a memorandum of settlement (MoS) with the governments of India and Assam. The signing of the MoS in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, State Health Minister Dr Bhumidhar Barman, top officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and State government officials besides leaders of the Bodo movement came after successful conclusion of the official-level talks in the morning. The tripartite MoS was signed by...

Feb. 9: Barring a last-minute hitch, the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT), the Assam government and the Centre will sign a new Bodo accord in New Delhi tomorrow to pave the way for creation of the much-awaited Bodoland Territorial Council.

The BLT and the government today reached a consensus on the twin issues of reservation of seats in the proposed council and the right of the Bodo community to contest elections to the three tribal councils of the state.

A 20-member delegation comprising senior BLT leaders and members of other Bodo organisations evaluated the draft memorandum of settlement with...

Kokrajhar, Feb. 8: Preparations are on in full swing for holding the 35th annual conference of the All-Bodo Students? Union (Absu) at Banargaon, five km west of Kokrajhar, from February 14 to 16.

Nearly 30 volunteers from the nearby 57 villages under the Banargaon unit of the Absu are rendering voluntary service to make the meet a success. Seventy per cent of the work has already been completed. A 23-member sub-committee has been floated to chalk out and implement the programme.

Talking to The Telegraph, Absu president Rabiram Narzary said the focus was on efforts to bring about unity and...

New Delhi, Feb. 7: Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi today announced that the much-awaited accord on constitution of a new administrative set-up for the Bodo heartland was likely to be signed with the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) on Monday.

?There were two issues on which we had differences with the BLT. Now that these have been amicably resolved, it is likely that an agreement will be reached during the next meeting,? he told newspersons here.

Gogoi said the rights of non-Bodos based in the territory that would be administered by the proposed Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) had been taken into...

Guwahati, Feb. 6: After repeatedly rebuffing the Centre and the Assam government, the outlawed National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) appears to be finally headed for the negotiation table with its chairman Ranjan Daimari giving his associates the green signal for a political dialogue with New Delhi.

Intelligence sources here said the NDFB chief had directed two of his deputies, both in judicial custody at present, to prepare the ground for peace talks with the Centre.

The NDFB?s willingness to resolve the Bodo issue through a dialogue was confirmed during the interrogation of its...

Silchar, Feb. 5: The Centre has cleared a proposal to set up an additional joint monitoring group to review adherence to the ground rules of the six-month ceasefire between the government and the Dima Halam Daoga (DHD). The truce took effect on January 1.

North Cachar Hills deputy commissioner Syed Iftikar Hussain told The Telegraph over phone from Haflong that the monitoring panel, headed by joint secretary in the Union home ministry Aravinda Kumar, would be in addition to the district-level co-ordination committee comprising senior government officials and DHD leaders. The group will meet...