A PIL has been filed in the Gauhati High Court over the Bodo accord implementation (File)
Guwahati:
Mediators of the Bodo Accord have moved the Gauhati High Court alleging the centre and state have failed in implementing the pact in “letter and spirit”.
On January 27 an accord was signed with the four factions of the NDFB (National Democratic Front of Boroland), following which more than 1,500 members of the outfit laid down their weapons.
However, since then there has been little progress in implementing the deal, Bodo prince Prithviraj Narayan Dev Mech and IIT graduate Thulunga Basumatary – both of whom had gone to the NDFB camp in Myanmar to hold talks on behalf of the Ministry of Home Affairs – alleged.
“If the accord remains on paper, there will be demands for a separate Bodoland state,” Prithviraj Narayan Dev Mech, who is also a member of the central working committee (CWC) of the United People’s Party Liberal, said.
Prithviraj Narayan Dev Mech was suspended from the party last week for “anti-party activities”.
The North East Heritage Foundation (NEHF), headed by Prithviraj Narayan Dev Mech and Thulunga Basumatary, has filed a PIL at the High Court in Assam.
In the PIL, Narayan Dev Mech said the accord provided for the constitution of a commission to identify and recommend inclusion of villages – with majority tribal populations – contiguous to Bodoland Territorial Area districts.
These would determine the boundaries of the Bodo Territorial Region that was to be formed.
“However, till date no commission is set up,” he alleged.
The NDFB, which has been demanding a separate state, had agreed to sign a memorandum of settlement (MoS) on account of a change in the areas and powers of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC)
The accord had promised the BTC would be strengthened with more powers and its seats will be expanded from 40 to 60.
The PIL has also sought rehabilitation of the surrendered NDFB cadres as per the accord.
This is the third time an accord has been signed with the centre on these issues.
The first, in 1993, saw the formation of the Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC), which had limited political powers.
The second, signed with the Bodo Liberation Tigers a decade later, led to the setting up of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) that included four districts in Assam – Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baska and Udalguri.
The third, signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, changed the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District to Bodoland Territorial Region and was expected to offer a “permanent solution” to the issue.
The pact was supposed to provide the BJP with goodwill and support both in the 2021 Assam Assembly elections and BTC elections that had been scheduled for earlier this year but were postponed due to the Covid lockdown.
There were reports the BJP would contest the polls on its own instead of yielding to its allies – the Bodo People’s Front (BPF), which ruled the council till the end of its term on April 27.
The administration of the council is currently handled by Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi.
