BTC polls: UPPL promises land rights, development push in Sonitpur, Biswanath

Tezpur, Aug 25: With the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections knocking on the door, the political parties, including the ruling United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL), are gearing up their poll campaigns in the 40 MCLA seats of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).

BTR chief Pramod Boro, accompanied by several party leaders, took part in a slew of programmes in the Gohpur, Biswanath, and Batachipur areas in Sonitpur district on Saturday.

Addressing a mammoth gathering at a public meeting organised by the Sonitpur district committee of the UPPL at the Batachipur Milan High School playground, Boro said that as fruition of the third Bodo peace accord signed in 2020 after a long struggle by the Bodo people along with other common citizens, the BTR has witnessed peace and proper development.

Asserting that the UPPL government is trying to bring about a change in society through the politics of honesty, sincerity, and supreme solidarity, Boro said that the BTR, which was once in a frustrated condition due to misrule, has now bounced back because of systematic work and good governance in every sector.

The BTC chief said that providing land ownership certificates to eligible residents of the BTR, inclusion of new villages in the BTR, and special focus on development in the fields of education, health and sanitation, electrification, communication, etc., are the priorities in Sonitpur, Biswanath, and Gohpur. He reiterated that the UPPL government has been able to gradually fulfil one of its commitments, as 60 villages have already been inducted in the BTR and the residents of these villages will now be able to vote in the BTC elections for the first time.

Referring to the alleged ‘goonda raj’ that prevailed during the 17 years of the Bodoland People’s Front ‘s (BPF’s) rule in the BTC, the UPPL supremo said that the UPPL has been able to execute sufficient developmental activities in only five years of its tenure in power.

“We have many things to do, and we are committed to do that. If we regain the power in the BTC, our mission and vision to make the BTR the best region for all will be given top priority,” he asserted.

Emphasising the necessity for development of youth for the all-round development of the Bodos and other communities in the BTR, he highlighted that several developmental programmes, including ‘alari swrang’ (scheme for the infrastructure development of religious institutions), ‘gyan swrang’ (an educational programme for students), ‘gami swrang’ (solar light scheme), ‘ai manaw swrang’ (in this scheme, Rs 75,000 is given to each women’s SHG), Super 50 programme (free coaching for JEE, NEET, APSC and UPSC), ‘mission bwisumothi’ (Mission Basundhara), etc., have been implemented in the BTR.

Other dignitaries who accompanied Boro included Rajya Sabha MP Rwngwra Narzary, MCLA Sanjay Swargiary, MLA from Barama LAC Bhupen Boro, and UPPL leader Phanidhar Boro. All these leaders urged upon the people to vote for the UPPL in the upcoming BTC polls in the interest of peace and development.

The event was conducted by the Sonitpur district UPPL unit and chaired by its president Khwngkhra Swargiary.

Earlier, Boro addressed two public meeting in Gohpur and Biswanath. After participating in a public meeting at Batachipur, he also attended a meeting with a handful of Bodo intellectuals at Dhekiajuli Sahitya Sabha Bhawan, wherein he said that development and a full-fledged Bodoland is a continuing process and, with united and tireless efforts, the dream of the Bodo community will one day be fulfilled.

TU training: Meanwhile, Tezpur University (TU) on Friday inaugurated a first-of-its-kind training programme aimed at enhancing the skills of its employees and equipping them with essential 21st-century competencies.

The programme has been organised under the ‘Rashtriya Karmayogi – Large Scale Jan Seva Programme’, as notified by the Union Ministry of Education. The training is mandatory for all regular teaching and non-teaching employees of the university.

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