With the Central Government taking up steps to discuss the Statehood demands of various organisations in Assam, several non-Bodo and non-tribal organisations on Sunday cautioned the State and Central Government against any further division of the State.
The Sanmilita Janagosthiya Suraksha Samiti (SJSS) — an conglomeration of 26 non-Bodo organisations held a mass convention in Guwahati on Sunday and said that the State and Central Government should not divide the State further but to put in efforts to find out a mechanism through which the aspirations of all the communities can be met with.
Asomiya Oikya Mancha — another non-Bodo conglomeration has already called for a 300 hours of bandh of all Government offices in Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts (BTAD) from September 2. The organisation had also announced an 84 hours of railway and highway blockade in BTAD areas from September 2 to protest against the Statehood demand of these organisations.
“The BTC accord in 2003 and the subsequent developments in BTAD have made the lives of non-Bodos miserable in BTAD. We the non-Bodos have been living with fear since the creation of BTAD and we are deprived of all facilities in BTAD,” said Jogeswar Kalita, president of Abodo Suraksha Samiti (ASS), another non-Bodo organisation.
“There have been extortion, kidnapping and all sorts of exploitation on the non-Bodos in BTAD. If the Centre gives separate State status to the BTAD, the problem of the non-Bodos will increase to a great extent. We are going to oppose any further division of the State be it the Bodos, the Karbis or the Kamatapur for the Koch Rajbongshis,” Kalita said.
On the other hand, a joint delegation of several non-Karbi and non-Dimasa organisations on Sunday met Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and urged upon him to ensure security of non-Karbis and non-Dimasas living in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao district of the State in case the Statehood status is granted to both the hill districts.
The development assumes significance as the Central Government is starting a series of discussions with the various Statehood demand groups in New Delhi from September 2. While the Home Ministry representatives will meet several groups demanding Kamatapur State on September 2, the groups demanding separate State status for Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao were invited on September 3 for discussion.
Similarly, the Home Ministry officials are scheduled to sit for a discussion with several separate State demand groups of Bodos on September 4 in New Delhi.