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Joint rally demands separate Bodoland State

By Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR, Jan 22 - The All Bodo Students� Union (ABSU), NDFB (P) and People�s Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement (PJACBM) organised a massive rally in Kokrajhar town on Monday demanding a separate Bodoland State carving it out from Assam and to grant ST (H) status to the Bodos living in Karbi Anglong apart from the demand to revoke the bill for ST status to six more communities in Assam.

They also reasserted demands for ensuring political and land rights to the Bodos living outside the proposed Bodoland State besides cautioning the government to stop exploitation, oppression, domination and discrimination of the existing 14 ST communities of Assam.

Thousands of people joined the rally with posters and banners and also shouted slogans on like �Divide Assam fifty fifty�, �Do or die for Bodoland,� �BJP go back,� �No Bodoland no rest� etc. The rally started from Khargaon field and after passing through the main thoroughfares of Kokrajhar town again reassembled at the same venue.

Addressing the mammoth gathering, ABSU president Pramod Boro firmly said the struggle for a separate Bodoland state is unstoppable and shall continue until a separate State is achieved. He also said that this movement is not against any caste, creed and religion but for their own legitimate rights under the Constitution of India to protect themselves with their own identity as indigenous people of this land. There will be no compromise on the issue of Bodoland state demand and protection of the rights of the Bodo people, he said. He also appealed to fulfill the BJP�s election commitment of 2014 for creating the Bodoland state.

At the same time, Boro also welcomed talks with the Tribal Sangha on the issue of ST status for six new communities. He said that any discussions with the councils of Assam is meaningless as these are part of the BJP Government for which the committee should take the opinion of the larger groups among the common masses. On the contrary, the Government is afraid of discussing the issue with organisations and groups who are not in power politics, he said. It is just a conspiracy of the ruling government to attract voters from these communities, he alleged.

Regarding CAB, he clarified that the ABSU is against any policy of the government causing threats to the indigenous people of Assam and the country as a whole.

Speaking on the occasion, Gobinda Boro, general secretary NDFB(P) said that the government move to provide ST status to six communities in Assam is an injustice for the existing ST people while the separate State demand of the Boro people has been neglected time and again, depriving the Boro people at large. It is therefore necessary to declare Bodoland first and then think about other issues like ST status to any other communities, he said. He added that the CAB should not disturb the indigenous people living in Assam at any cost.

Former Rajya Sabha MP and president of UPPL UG Brahma, ABSU general secretary Lorence Islary, Rakesh Boro, convener PJACBM among other also joined the rally.

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