The Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), which had been in power in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) since 2005, has announced a series of agitational programmes from September 28 demanding early election to the council.
This was announced by BPF secretary Prabin Boro.
The demand to hold the BTC election early comes at a time when its partner in the Assam government, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants a postponement of the election due to COVID19 pandemic situation.
Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma recently told the media that his department has written to the Assam State Election Commissioner to postpone the election due to the pandemic.
Talking to the media at the BPF office in Kokrajhar, Prabin Boro said, “The BJP in Assam has been playing with the alliance for their politics.”
The sweet relation between the BJP and the BPF turned to a new low following the BJP-led government announced to implement some of the clauses of the BTR Accord including approval of the renaming of the existing BTAD to BTR on Friday.
Prabin Boro said, “The BPF wings will start agitation programmes from Monday next in all 10 sub-divisions of BTC to pressurise the government to hold BTC election on time.”
He said, “There would be sit-in-demonstration, people’s rally, torchlight rally, bike rally, hunger strike from September 28 to November 2 demanding early election to BTC.”
The government also announced to form Boro Kachari Welfare Autonomous Council (BKWAC) for the Boro Kachari people living outside the BTC region.
The BPF has been opposing the implementation of the BTR Accord saying that the new accord has nothing new.
The BPF has been demanding revisit of the BTR accord and said the new accord has no teeth as no bill on the accord has been passed in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to make it an Act.
The BPF has rejected the new accord and accused the All Boro Students Union (ABSU) for compromising the separate Bodoland state issue while the ABSU and the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) have hailed the initiative of the government for implementing the clauses of the accord.