KOKRAJHAR, Aug 9: Four prominent Bodo organisations on Saturday called upon the two major political parties — United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL) and Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF) – of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) to unite and contest the forthcoming BTC polls.
The leaders of All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS), and former militant outfits Bodoland Liberation Tigers (BLT) and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) have urged UPPL chief Pramod Boro and BPF’s Hagrama Mohilary to unite before the polls, ABSU president Dipen Boro said at a press conference here.
“We have sent a letter on this issue to both the leaders on August 5. The ball is now in their court and we expect a positive response by August 12,” he said.
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People of BTR want political unity as they do not want the peace that has been established after decades of violence to be disturbed, Boro said.
The leaders also called for free and fair elections in the BTR.
Pramod Boro later told reporters that a united political front “cannot be one-sided but will depend on all concerned, including the other political party”.
“We will consider the proposal of the four organisations and also hold discussions with them. The BPF, however, did not come to the council even for a day and the party has already announced its list of 22 candidates on August 4 for the forthcoming council polls expected to be held in September,” he said.
“Various social organisations in BTR want a united political front and we also do not want division in society but urge all to create an atmosphere for the socio-economic development of the region,” Boro said.
“There is a saying that social organisations bind the society while politics tries to create division. We, however, do not believe in the politics of division and there is unity in diversity in the country, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi always encouraging ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’,” he said.
People in BTR have suffered a lot over decades and they do not want any more disturbance, Boro added.
BPF president Hagrama Mohilary told reporters that his party has no problem in contesting the council polls unitedly.
“We have already given a written reply to the organisations. We have no objection to their proposal and welcome it,” he said.
“The UPPL chief only says verbally that he has no objection to unity but has not given it in writing, so there is no guarantee and they might backtrack tomorrow,” Mohilary added.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier this week said that the BJP welcomes the proposal for unity between the two major political parties of BTR.
Elections to the 40-member Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) are expected to be held in September and the BJP has decided to contest the polls independently.
The United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL), BJP and Gana Suraksha Party (GSP) are alliance partners in administering the current council.
In the last council polls held in December 2020, the UPPL had won 12 seats, BJP nine and GSP one seat while the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF), which had headed the council for the previous three terms, emerged as the single-largest party with 17 seats and Congress secured one seat with its elected member later joining the BJP.
The BPF was then the BJP’s alliance partner in the state government but the ruling party decided to join hands with the UPPL and the GSP to jointly form the council.
The council polls were held after a fresh Bodo Accord was signed in New Delhi on January 27, 2020 by the leaders of all four factions of the NDFB, then All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) chief Pramod Bodo, Mohilary and the then Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. (PTI)
