Historic Bodo Accord singed – All NDFB factions, ABSU and Assam government part of the tripartite peace agreement which ends a 50-year-old crisis

After the successful signing of the Bru-Reang accord and effecting a record number of surrenders of insurgents in the North-East, the Narendra Modi government and government of Assam have yet another feather in their cap and for solving a 50-yr old dispute. A tripartite accord between the Government of Assam, NDFB factions and All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) for final settlement of demands in Bodoland was signed on Monday afternoon in New Delhi. Bodoland will now be named as Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), and will have more administrative power.

As part of the historic agreement, cadres of all the four factions of NDFB will lay down arms on January 30. The NDFB factions were led by Ranjan Daimari, Govinda Basumatary, Dhiren Boro and B Saoraigra whereas ABSU president Pramod Boro and Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief Hagrama Mohilary also signed the accord. Assam chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna signed the agreement on behalf of the state government.

Assam chief minister Sarbanand Sonowal and senior minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also attended the accord signing ceremony.

Speaking to the media, Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said predominantly tribal villages will be included in the accord. He said a commission will be constituted by the state government to decide this. Representatives ABSU and present BTC members will also be part of the commission, he said. Sarma further informed that a special package of Rs 900 crore has been granted by the Centre for the overall development of the Bodoland areas. Besides, the government will assure the Bodo groups to safeguard the Bodo language and culture. Bodo language will now be an associate official language with Devanagari script in Assam.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the accord and said that this historic agreement signed between GOI, Assam Govt and Bodo representatives bring an end to a 50-year-old Bodo crisis. He further said that the agreement is in line with PM Shri Narendra Modi’s vision for the progress of the North East and empowerment of the people of the region.F inal & comprehensive solution to their demands has been made, while retaining the territorial integrity of Assam. After the agreement, NDFB factions will leave the path of violence, surrender their weapons & disband their armed organizations within a month of signing the deal. Around 1550 cadres of NDFB(P), NDFB(RD) & NDFB(S) will be rehabilitated by GOI and Assam Govt, said the HM.

A Special Development Package Rs. 1500 Crore will be given by the Union Government to undertake specific projects for the development of Bodo areas. About 4000 people died in the Bodo movement, each family that lost a member during Bodo Movement would get an ex-gratia compensation of Rs. 5 Lakh. Assam government will also notify Bodo language as the associate official language in the state. This historic agreement will usher in a new dawn of peace, progress and prosperity in the state of Assam, said the Home Minister.

He congratulated the Assam government and CM Sarbanand Sonwal for their pioneering efforts to make North-East the Ashta Lakshmi of PM Narendra Modi’s vision.

Giving details of the accord, Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted that the Bodo Peace Accord has full support of Assam government led by HCM Sarbanand Sonwal and Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief Sri Hagrama Mohilary, making it full and final solution to the over decades old Bodo issue. Thank all those who made this historic Accord possible. The Bodo Accord shall reaffirm the territorial integrity of Assam and at the same time usher us into a new hope of peace and progress in Bodoland, he tweeted.