Memorandom For Bodoland has Submitted to Dr Monmohan Sigh. Dear friends, the following memorandum was submitted to Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister ofIndia through the DC of Kokrajhar during 12 hrs Rail Rokho programme ofABSU at Kokrajhar. The memorandum was collected by the ADC, Kokrajhar onbehalf of DC, Kokrajhar at 10:00 AM at Kokrajhar Railway Station where we were present for solidarity for a separate state. A Memorandum To Dr. Manmohan Singh, Honourable Prime Minister of India, South Block, New Delhi Through, the Deputy Commissioner, Kokrajhar Dated, Kokrajhar, the 2nd August, 2013 Subject: Demand of creating separate state of Boroland along with Telangana. Sir, Nomoskar! Greetings! We, the Peoples’ Joint Action Committee for Boroland Movement (a conglomeration of 55 organizations of different communities living in Borolandand the National Democratic Front of Boroland (Progressive) would like to draw your kind attention to the following few words for your urgent consideration and prompt necessary action. That Sir, Boro and other indigenous tribal peoples are the sons of the soil ofAssam who are but socio-economically,socio-politically and socio-culturally exploited, dominated, suppressed, oppressed and marginalized. They are the origin people and the founder of human civilization in the region. Our several kings and rulers did rule in different kingdoms and territories at different time. In course of time we lostour grip over our kingdoms and territories partly due to internecine feudand partly because of the external aggressions. The British annexation of Tularam Senapati’s kingdom in 1854 was the last nail to the coffin of the Boro Kachari kingdom. The Boro Kacharis and other indigenous peoples of Assam joined the Indian freedom movement and many did sacrifice their lives with a hope that our kingdoms would be given back to us after the British departure. The British left India at last and as a consequence India became independent on the 15th August, 1947, but we were denied our right to have state of our own in spite of our sacrifices. Instead of giving due recognition to our history and our sacrifices in the freedom movement wewere forcibly pushed into the fold of Assamese identity even if we have vast difference in ethnicity, language and culture and are now living as the second class citizens in our own inherited land. Our traditional land havebeen illegally encroached by the intruders and the illegal migrants from the neighbourig countries at the instance of the bureaucrats and political leaders of the main stream Assamese community who have been catching hold of the rein of Assam administration since the independence. Due to continued large influx of the illegal migrants, the Boro Kacharis and other indigenous peoples of the region have been outnumbered and demographicallymarginalized. The successive governments of Assam did nothing to protect and safeguard our land, our identity and our language andculture. Our very existence at present isthreatened. To assert ourselves and our legitimate rights, the Boro and other indigenous tribal people of Assam launched a democratic movement in demand of a separate state in 1967 under the banner of the Plain’s Tribal Council of Assam (PTCA). The demand was not conceded by the Government of India; hence the movement is still alive. Two Boro Accords were signed between the Boro leadership and the Government ofIndia in 1993 and 2003 with a view to resolving the Boroland movement but these accords have utterly failed to fulfill the political aspiration of the Boroand other indigenous tribal people. Both the accords in reality are mere package for economic development andfailed to address the fundamental question of political empowerment to the Boro and other tribal people. Actually the Boro People did accept those two accords as an interim administrative arrangement for economic packages since Government of India kept telling the Boro leadershipthat there was no policy for creating a new state in India. That Sir, the movement for Boroland state has passed 46 years but no solution has come up so far due to deliberate negligence of the Government of India. During this long period of time 7 new states have been created in India e.g. Meghalaya (1971),Arunachal Pradesh (1972), Nagaland (1975), Mizoram (1986), Jharkhand (2000), Chhattishgarh (2000) and Uttarakahand (2000) and Telengana, now one more new state in South Indiais on the anvil sidelining the Boro and other indigenous peoples’ genuine cry for Boroland state. On the basis of history, ethnic identity and language & culture and population and also on the basis of provision of the Indian constitution we have every right to have a separate state for our self- determination. Why is such an injusticeto our people, Sir! Isn’t discrimination on the part of the Government of India to us, Sir! On the other hand, the alarming influx of the illegal migrants to Assam has become a serious threat to our natural survival and the security of India. The Assamese leadership who are totally dependent on the vote bank of the illegal migrants can no longer save Assam from being ceded to Bangladesh. They have already given inand succumbed to the Bangladeshi migrants. There is every possibility of Assam being ceded to Bangladesh at any moment as the population of the Bangladeshi migrants is soaring in every year. In democracy mere head count matters most and by dint of simple plebiscite Assam is certain to go off India’s hand to Bangladesh within a few years. We, the Boro people consider ourselves Indian and want to remain as the integral part of India. Forthe sake of India’s security we feel the creation of Boroland state is a must. Only then the indigenous people will becapable to withstand the onslaught of the illegal influx. Boroland will be free from influx and will be saved as the integral part of India under the leadership of the Boro people. That Sir, the movement for separate state of Boroland is presently being carried out by the People’s Joint Action Committee for Boroland Movement, NDFB (Progressive) and All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU). The NDFB (Progressive) is on a political dialogue with the Government of India to resolvethe Boro people’s demand for Borolandstate under the Article 2 & 3 of the Indian constitution. But the fact is that the dialogue is not moving forward because of lack of political will on the part of the government in regards to resolution of the Boroland problem. The Government of India very often speaks for peace. Our people are not against peace. But the truth is that peace will never prevail in our area unless and until Boro people are granted Boroland state. We want the Boroland problem to be resolved once for all but not in a piece meal manner. That Sir, we the Boro and other Indigenous peoples along with the people of different communities living together in the region since long want to live together in peace with equal rights, equal status and equal opportunities. We further want our language, culture and identity to be fully protected under the provisions of the Indian constitution. To show our solidarity with NDFB (P)’s continued peace negotiation and to express our united voice on the issue of Boroland state, we the indigenous Boro people as well as the people of different communities living together in Borolandarea from the ages have called for a renewed phase of democratic agitational programme w. e. 2nd August 2013, where thousands of people have gathered and shouted slogan in support of creating Boroland state. Therefore through this phase of renewed intensified collective agitational programme, we would like to place the following demands before you for your prompt and sympathetic action with a view to bringing a permanent solution to the Boroland problem for peace and development in the region: - 1. Create Boroland state comprising 32 Tribal Belts and Blocks, Tribal Sub Plantarea and adjoining tribal contiguous area covering 25, 478 Sq.km. in the northern bank of the Brahmaputra fromthe Sankosh river in the west to Sadiya in the east under the Article 2 & 3 with special provision to Article 371 (A) of the constitution of India within this parliament session along with Telangana; 2. Grant Sixth Schedule Status to the existing Non-TerritorialAutonomous Councils for the indigenous tribal people such as – Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC), Tiwa Council Autonomous Council (TAC), Deuri Autonomous Council (DAC), Thengal Autonomous Council (TAC), Sonowa Autonomous Council (SAC) and Mishing Autonomous Council (MAC); 3. Grant Scheduled Tribe (Hill) Status to the Boro people living in Karbi Anglong Autonomous 4. Detect and identify the illegal migrants on the basis of the Census Report of 1951 and the Electoral Roll of1952 and deport thereof for the interest of safety and security of India in general and for the indigenous peoples of the North East in particular and 5. Clear the Tribal Belts and Blocks in Assam from illegal encroachment; Thanking you in anticipation of your urgent response and favourable action. Yours faithfully, (Jebra Ram Muchahary) (B. Sungthagra) Chief Convenor, PJACBM President, NDFB (P) (Garjan Machahary) (B. Alongbar) Convenor, PJACBM Organising Secretary, NDFB (P) Copy to: 1. Home Minister of India, for his kind information and necessary action; 2. Chief Minister of Assam, for his kind information and kind cooperation.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Aug 2013 08:12:44 +0000