Assam government’s decision to include 60 more villages in BTR receives mixed reactions

Assam government's decision to include 60 more villages in the Bodo Territorial region is receiving mixed reactions from the people living in the state's Gohpur town.

"We have a request to the Assam government that the historical Gohpur should not be merged with the Bodo Territorial region. As the relative of martyred Kanaklata Barua, I demand the state government to review this decision once again and Gohpur town should remain the same", one villager identified as Abhijit Barua stated while talking to the media.

While some villagers are opposing the decision, many people from the BTR region are lauding the government's decision. "It is really a commendable step by the state government. It will help the ignored tribal area to fully develop in the near future".

It needs mention here that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on January 26 said that 60 more villages in the state will get included in the Bodo Territorial Region (BTR). 

As per Sarma, out of 60 villages, 43 will be revenue villages, and the rest 13 forest villages from Dhekiajuli, Sootea, Biswanath, Behali, and Gohpur. 

''As part of promises made in the Bodo peace deal signed in January 2020, our government has decided to include villages which have at least 80 per cent Bodo population in the BTR,'' Sarma said in his Republic Day speech.

The Bodo peace deal was signed in January 2020 with all four factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), which was the third such deal signed by the Centre with rebel Bodo outfits, had said that villages contiguous to BTR and having majority tribal population would get included in the council.

Meanwhile, reacting to Assam CM's announcement, Pramod Bodo, chief executive member of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) said, '' Thank you CM Sarma for your gifts to BTR in the form of implementation of the clauses of the BTR peace accord on this Republic Day''.

Besides this, Sarma also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to families of 2,001 martyrs of the Bodoland agitation.

The Assam CM also announced that March 31 will be marked as Students Day in Assam in memory of Upendranath Brahma, popularly called Father of Bodos.