Bodoland: a political history
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Contents |
The dispute
The accord, in planning
Prabin Kalita, January 30, 2020: The Times of India
GUWAHATI: Two Bodo youths in their 20’s, one a coronated prince and the other an IIT graduate, both determined to create a society without guns in their homeland, won the confidence of ministry of home affairs to travel to Myanmar and bring back NDFB rebels based there. A week later the Bodo accord, which the duo had drafted, was adopted almost in entirety and signed.
The prince, Rajkumar Prithviraj Narayan Dev Mech, the 19th descendant of Boro King Chikra Mech, who turned 22 a couple of months back, said, “If anything had gone wrong in Myanmar, me and my partner Thulunga Basumatary could have been killed…we were on a foreign country and we had gone on our own.”
Immediately after getting clearance from home ministry to embark on their mission to NDFB (S), the IK Songbijit faction based in Myanmar, they flew from New Delhi to Bangkok and from there to Mandalay in Myanmar on December 9. “From Mandalay we travelled three hours by a hired vehicle, discussed with the NDFB (S) leaders and convinced them to join the mainstream and on December 10 we all travelled westwards and entered India at Moreh the next day,” Prithiviraj said.
“We had already submitted the draft memorandum of settlement on behalf of NDFB (S) to government of India after which the government said it was swilling to negotiate,” said Thulunga, who passed out from IIT Madras in humanities and social science in 2018 and instead of following his course mates to corporate houses or abroad for higher studies he chose to listen to his heart and serve his birthplace.
“I can say that 80 per cent of what we had drafted has found place in the accord, but we are satisfied. The NDFB leadership is also satisfied,” Thulunga said.
They said that the entire process took about five to six months to reach the final outcome. “We wanted to keep it transparent and the turning point was when we met the families of NDFB (S) leaders and members to and gained their trust. We were also able to convince the NDFB (S) leadership in Myanmar that the Bodo people aspire for a society without guns and they were convinced,” Thulunga said.
All paper works were completed and put in the right place, they said and truly enough the accord was signed in the fastest possible time. The NDFB (S) leadership signed the Suspension of Operation on January 17 and the accord along with the other three factions three days later.
I wanted to pull out my homeland crippled by socio-political problems, ethnic conflicts and national and subnational uprisings
Thulunga Basumatary
In their effort to bring back peace in Bodo region, Prithiviraj was driven by the passion in his genes to do something “path-breaking” for the people while Thulunga wanted to pull out his homeland from the “crippled by socio-political problems, ethnic conflicts and national and sub-national uprisings” and “make the atmosphere conducive for scientific and technologically innovative activities.”
What is the Bodoland dispute
The Bodos, the earliest settlers and the largest ethnic group of Assam, are concentrated in the northern areas of the Brahmaputra valley and want to protect their ethnic identity, way of life and language. This had led to demand for a separate state. Although Bodo agitation has a long history dating back to the pre-Independence era, the movement gained momentum in the late 1980s, when calls were made for the bifurcation of Assam. Some prominent armed separatist groups were founded during this period.
The accord, January 2020
Bharti Jain & Prabin Kalita, Jan 27, 2020: The Times of India
NEW DELHI/GUWAHATI: A tripartite accord was signed on Monday among the Centre, Assam government and Bodo representatives, with all factions of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) that had been waging a violent struggle for a separate state of Bodoland for past several years, reaffirming their faith in the territorial integrity of Assam.
The pact, described as “historic” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, provides for setting up of a commission to reconstitute the Bodo Territorial Areas District (BTAD) by including new, Bodo-dominated villages contiguous to the existing BTAD area and excluding the villages with a predominantly non-tribal population. BTAD will be rechristened as Bodo Territorial Region. Bodo language will be notified as an associate official language in Assam.
Over 1,500 NDFB cadres will shun the path of violence, surrender arms on January 30, coinciding with Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary, and disband their armed organisations within the next one month. A Rs 5-lakh compensation is being offered to the kin of Bodo rebels martyred in their violent struggle. The surrendered cadres too will get a rehabilitation package.
Cases against NDFB cadres involving non-heinous crimes will be withdrawn by Assam government, while cases involving heinous crimes will be reviewed on a case-to-case basis.
The total number of assembly seats in BTC will go up to 60 from the existing 40, though this will be relevant only from the 2026 assembly poll.
It has been agreed that a Rs 1,500 crore economic package shall be released over the next three years for Bodo areas, with the Centre and Assam government contributing in equal measure. Deputy commissioners and SPs of districts within BTAD will be posted in consultation with BTAD chief executive member.
Signatories to the accord — signed in the presence of home minister Amit Shah, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma — included Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) chief executive member Hagrama Mohilary; representatives of All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), United Boro People Organization (UBPO); and leaders of NDFB factions headed by Gobinda Basumatary, Dhirendra Boro, Ranjan Daimary and B Saoraigwra.
In a series of tweets posted after signing of the accord, the prime minister said: “Bodo Accord inked today stands out for many reasons. It successfully brings together the leading stakeholders under one framework. Those who were previously associated with armed resistance groups will now be entering the mainstream and contributing to our nation’s progress”.
Home minister Amit Shah said: “This agreement will facilitate all-round development of the Bodo areas; their language and culture will be protected without compromising the territorial integrity of Assam”. He added that the success of the latest Bodo agreement, the third in 27 years, was guaranteed as all Bodo outfits were on board.
The violent struggle for sovereignty and then a separate state of Bodoland, spanning past five decades, has claimed over 4,000 lives. This is the third accord to be signed with Bodo outfits in 27 years. The first one with All Bodo Students’ Union was signed in 1993 leading to the creation of Bodoland Autonomous Council with limited political powers. It, however, failed. The second one was with Bodo Liberation Tigers (a rebel group) in 2003 under which the Bodoland Territorial Council was established to administer four districts — Chirang, Kokrajhar, Baska and Udalguri (called Bodoland Territorial Area District) — located on the northern banks of Brahmaputra. But under the new accord, the area will now be called Bodoland Territorial Region with more administrative, legislative, executive and financial powers.
Details: How the Bodo Accord was accomplished
On January 27, New Delhi succeeded in bringing the curtains down on more than three decades of militancy in one of South Asia’s hottest insurgency theatres. The government signed the new Bodo Accord with all the rebel factions: the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU), and a civil society body, United Bodo People’s Organisation (UBPO).
This agreement can be called the Bodoland Territorial Region or BTR Accord as the existing Bodoland Territorial Areas District or BTAD has been renamed as BTR. The BTR Accord is unique in that it is the first peace agreement in the Northeast where all the existing insurgent groups in a particular area have put their signatures, with a joint commitment to end violence and strive for progress and development. A masterstroke by government negotiators is their flexible approach in letting the area’s frontline student organisation, the ABSU, be a signatory to the deal.
After the 1986 Mizo Accord, at least five major peace agreements have been clinched with insurgent groups. But for the first time a student organisation which had acted as a catalyst and unifier has become a signatory to an accord along with a civil society conglomeration. This could well be a new peace template for the region.
After two earlier Bodo agreements – the 1993 Bodoland Autonomous Council Accord and the 2003 deal with the rebel Bodo Liberation Tigers – this time the government was keen on a comprehensive settlement of the Bodo issue where the key demand for a separate Bodoland state was given up once and for all in lieu of adequate provisions for the uplift of Bodo people. The new Accord says on the issue: “Negotiations were held with Bodo organisations for a comprehensive and final solution to their demands while keeping intact the territorial integrity of the State of Assam.” One of the signatories, NDFB chief Gobinda Basumatary, told this writer that since most of the powers and aspirations of people seeking a separate state have been provided for in the new Accord, there is no need any more to demand a separate state.
Apart from more legislative, executive, administrative and financial powers, BTR will now see exchange of villages. A commission headed by a retired judge will work out a mechanism for inclusion of villages with a majority tribal population, contiguous to the present Bodo Council area, into BTR. Similarly, villages with a majority non-tribal population currently under the Bodo Council, but contiguous to non-Sixth Schedule areas (meaning areas outside the Council jurisdiction), will be excluded from the Council. This is expected to address the issues of both tribals currently outside the Bodo Council as well as non-tribals currently living within the Council.
Again, from 40 seats, the BTR Council will now have 60 seats. Up to 16 of these 60 seats could be open seats, meaning seats where non-tribals can also contest elections. Besides, there will be six nominated members in the BTR Council, including two women members and two from unrepresented communities. Therefore, for anyone to think that non-tribals have no reservations in the new BTR Accord is unfounded.
Other significant provisions of the new accord is the decision to set up a Bodo-Kachari Welfare Council for ‘focussed development’ of Bodo villages located outside the Bodo Council area, and declaring Bodo language in Devnagri script as an associate official language of Assam. Besides, measures for protection of the Bodo language and culture and setting up several institutions of higher and technical education have also been provided in the Accord.
The deal has also made it mandatory for the Assam government to earmark an amount of Rs 250 crore per annum for a period of three years for development of areas under the BTR Council. The Centre will contribute an equal amount of Rs 250 crore per annum for the same period.
On the whole, the new Bodo Accord has many firsts and it can well be taken as a peace template as and when the government pushes its peace efforts in states like Manipur, for instance, where, too, there is a strong civil society presence which could well assist efforts at ending militancy.
The writer is Executive Director of the Centre for Development and Peace Studies in Guwahati
YEAR-WISE DEVELOPMENTS
2020
BJP changes partner
December 14, 2020: The Times of India
BJP decided to dump its alliance partner Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) to join hands with the United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL) and the Gana Suraksha Party to form the next Bodoland Territorial Council after the just concluded polls threw a hung House, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal said.
The 40-member new council will be headed by UPPL chief Promode Bodo, Sonowal said after a meeting with the representatives of all the three parties. The 21-newly elected BTC members belonging to the BJP, UPPL and the GSP went to the Raj Bhawan to submit their claim to form the council to governor Jagadish Mukhi. Regarding the tie-up with BPF, Sarma said it was made for five years from 2016 and it will continue till the next assembly elections are held. Assam assembly polls are slated to be held in early 2021. AGENCIES
