Assam approves Bodo Accord provision; BTC Dy Chief gets Cabinet Minister status
Cabinet decision comes just hours after ABSU's massive protest rallies across all BTR districts, demanding full implementation of the 2020 Accord
CM Sarma during the meeting with BTC councillors on Tuesday. (Photo:@himantabiswa/X)
Guwahati, Oct 29: Amid renewed pressure for full implementation of the 2020 Bodoland Peace Accord, the Assam Cabinet on Wednesday approved a key provision of the pact by granting Cabinet Minister–equivalent status to the Deputy Chief Executive Member (Dy CEM) of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).
Briefing reporters after the meeting at Lok Sewa Bhawan, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary and Deputy Chief Rihon Daimari will now enjoy status equivalent to Assam Cabinet Ministers. The other Executive Members will hold the rank of Ministers of State within the BTC area.
“In line with the Bodoland Accord, the BTC Deputy Chief has also been accorded Cabinet Minister status,” Sarma said.
The decision came a day after Sarma’s meeting with Executive Members, senior officials and deputy commissioners from the five BTC districts at Lok Sewa Bhawan.
However, the timing of the Cabinet move is seen as significant. Earlier in the day, the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) organised massive protest rallies across all Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) districts and in Biswanath, demanding full implementation of the 2020 Accord.
The demonstrations, among the largest since the Accord’s signing five years ago, drew thousands of participants.
Addressing a rally in Kokrajhar, ABSU president Dipen Boro announced a fresh agitation programme, including a seminar in New Delhi on November 20, a dharna at Jantar Mantar the next day, and a mega rally in Kokrajhar in December.
Against this backdrop, political observers are seeing Wednesday’s Cabinet decision as an olive branch to the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), which recently regained control of the BTC, ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.
Meanwhile, speculation over the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) exiting the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has intensified after its defeat in the BTC polls. On Wednesday, UPPL councillor from Manas Serfang, Dhananjay Basumatary, clarified that a decision would be taken at the party’s upcoming conference in November.
“Yesterday, a meeting was held with UPPL members at Gabbru Khunda Manas Resort. Some members suggested that the party should leave the NDA soon, but the final decision will be taken in November,” Basumatary said.