Shillong, Sept 5: The Bodo National Students’ Union (BNSU) on Wednesday said, “negative political characteristics of the successive state governments of Assam” has marginalised Bodos in their ancestral land and sought Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma’s intervention.

Submitting a memorandum to Sangma in Shillong on Wednesday, BNSU said “the aboriginal Bodo-tribal people of Assam have already been marginalized and dispossessed of their rights to self-determination within their own ancestral lands and territories”.

It said, “The Bodo people have been left with no other option than to raise the demand for the creation of the separate state of Bodoland and it is the need of the hour”.

Urging Sangma’s intervention on the issue, BNSU said, “We would like to earnestly urge upon you to take necessary prompt actions on our long standing justified demand for the creation of the separate state of the Bodoland.”

Citing the example of the creation of states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand in 2000 and Telangana in 2014, BNSU said, “A separate state of Bodoland deserves to be created forthwith on the same footing in order to accord equitable political, economic and social justice.”

Some of the other demands included provisions of Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in the proposed new state, raising a separate Bodo Regiment in the Indian Army with the provisions of 75 percent reservation for the Bodo youths, granting ST status to the Bodo-Kachari people living in Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills (Dima Hasao) and others.

The Meghalaya CM is popular in the northeast as a tribal leader who speaks for their rights. Therefore, the BNSU submitted its memorandum to Sangma with the hope he could come to some assistance on their demand.

The National People’s Party (NPP), of which Sangma is the National President, is a “tribal-centric” party. Its founding father (L) Purno A. Sangma had always raised the issue of tribal rights around the country and even won assembly elections in faraway Rajasthan apart from assemblies in the region.

Meanwhile, the BNSU delegation said the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere and the Meghalaya CM listened to their concerns raised by the organisation patiently.

Apart from statehood demand, discussions were also held on the proposed 125th amendment of the sixth schedule of the constitution. The amendment would possibly provide direct funding to the ten autonomous district councils of the region.

Read: Meghalaya to seek central aid for border area development amid unrest in Bangladesh

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