by Preetam B C
Kokrajhar : The demand for creation of a separate Bodoland state has gained momentum in the Bodo heartland with the All Bodo Students’ Union (Absu) and its movement group like National Democratic Front of Boroland (P) and P
eople’s Joint Action Committee for Boroland Movement (PJACBM) holding mass gathering at Barama in Baksa district today.
Thousands of people thronged the gathering at Barama High school playground in Baksa today. The protesters raised banners and placards and shouted slogans “We want Bodoland” and “Divide Assam 50/50”, “No Bodoland No Rest”.
Representatives from the National Federation for New States, an umbrella forum demanding separate states in the country, participated in the rally.
Leaders like Swapnajit Sanyal, Secretary & Spokesperson NFNS from Vidharva, former ASBU president Sahitya academy awardee and president of UPPL Urkhao Gwra Brahma, President of United Minority Cell Md. Yusuf Ali and others attended the attended the gathering and pressed for the early creation of smaller states in the country and urged the Centre to adopt a policy towards facilitating to create more new states.
The leaders expressed the need for creation of a separate Bodoland state, which is the long-standing demand of the indigenous Bodo community.
“We believe creation of a Bodoland state by a pragmatic and comprehensive policy is the only way to provide justice to millions of aboriginal Bodo tribals of the region,” said Absu president Pramod Boro, adding that the creation of a full-fledged state is necessary, as “autonomy with amended arrangement and limited mandate” cannot fulfil the 
aspirations and mitigate the grievances of the Bodo people.
The ABSU president said that the BJP got vote from the Bodo people in both Parliamentary elections n 2014 and in the last assembly election in Assam for their pre-election promises of solving the Bodoland issue, but it has not been materialized till date. On the talk talks between the Bodo organisations and the Central government, the ABSU president said, “simply talk in the name of talk is not acceptable, we want a permanent solution through the talks”.
“It is the appropriate time for the government to take a concrete policy decision and resolve the Bodoland crisis,” he said adding the genuine and legitimate demand of the Bodo and other people living in the proposed Bodoland area must be respected as the government of India is the right authority to resolve all these issues. .
The Absu leader said there should be a concrete national policy for creation of new states, specifically for the Northeast, and another policy for the rest of the country, and urged the government to immediately formulate a policy to create new states for all the regions wherever such demands exist.
