BONGAIGAON, Jan 3 - Only political interest has compelled the State and the Union governments to favour the Bodo groups by depriving non-Bodo communities of their rights in BTAD, alleged Biswajit Ray, president of AKRSU, at a press conference here today.
Keeping aside issues of the non-Bodo communities, the dispensation at the Centre and the State have only been entertaining the demands of the Bodo tribe, claimed Ray.
The National Democratic Front of Boroland (Progressive) had included at least 53 of 126 Assembly seats in the proposed Boroland. Further, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has assured to form satellite autonomous councils for Bodo-Kacharis outside the BTAD. The Prime Minister too is coming to Kokrajhar, the BTC headquarters on January 19 to announce other sops for the Bodos as all these would pave the way for the future �Bodoland�. The Chief Minister may in fact declare the State as Bodoland at the cost of the non-Bodos communities� constitutional rights, Ray said.
�Prime Minister Modi should make public the purpose of his visit to Kokrajhar on January 19 and call us to clarify his stand on the ST issue of the Koch-Rajbongshis by January 18�, Ray demanded.
�If the Prime Minister does not respond to this call, I would urge the non-Bodo communities to oppose the saffron party in the ensuing Assembly polls�, Ray added.
�The students� group will chalk out a robust strategy to give a befitting reply to the BJP for betraying the Koch-Rajbongshis,� he mentioned.
Under the initiative of the students� group, Chilarai Sena and Koch-Rajbongshi Mahila Samiti, which is a parent body of the Koch-Rajbongshi Mahasabha, would be formed with the cooperation of educationists, litterateurs, artistes, intellectuals, sportsmen and socially conscious individuals from the community, Ray informed.
Ray slammed Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for not including Manikpur (in Bongaigaon district) and Golakganj (in Dhubri district) in the list of new sub-divisions declared on January 1, which reflected the Chief Minister�s biased attitude towards the Koch-Rajbongshis of undivided Goalpara district, Ray alleged.
�Though my term as president of the students� group will end on January 8, but I am committed to continue my work for my community as usual after formally handing over charge,� he concluded.
