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Students� bodies prepare for upcoming polls

By Correspondent

TEZPUR, Jan 21 - With the Assembly elections around the corner, the two frontline students� bodies of the State � All Bodo Students� Union (ABSU) and All Assam Gorkha Students� Union (AAGSU) � are getting ready for the fray.

Throwing a challenge to the national political parties like the Congress and the BJP at a press meet held here recently, presidents of both the organisations � Pramud Boro and Prem Tamang � respectively, described that out of 126 Assembly constituencies in the State, there are 5 to 91 thousand Boro voters in 45 constituencies. They said that there are minimum 5,000 voters of Gorkha community in each of the 35 constituencies of the State.

Boro said that in the last Parliamentary Assembly election, the ABSU supported the BJP, as the party had promised to deal with problems of the Bodo people, including the Bodoland problem, if it came to power. �However after coming to the power at the Centre winning a good number of Parliamentary constituencies with the help of Boro voters in Assam, it has drastically become reluctant to address the problems of Bodo people.�

He alleged that if no political party responds to the Bodo problems in the coming days then the ABSU will field their own candidates in 45 Assembly constituencies in the upcoming Assembly elections.

Addressing the joint press conference, the AAGSU president, Prem Tamang, said that every Government has neglected problems of the tribal people in the past. �But this time, it will not be allowed to do so. In this election, besides tribal people, Gorkhas will play a vital role.�

Alleging that Hagrama Mohilari has failured to address the grievances of Bodos in the last 15 years of his rule in the BTAD, Tamang said that how can he (Mohilari) put attention to problems of other communities living in the region.

Referring to the NRC upgradation process in the State, chiefs of both the organisations alleged that the Central Government has been neglecting the issue over the years which is not a good sign for the people of the State.

The Government should lay stress on constitutional safeguard for the people of the State and resolved to take forward the issue of Gorkha autonomous council, they added.

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