Biswajit Daimary Demands Central Government to Give Union Territory Status to Bodoland Territorial Council

New Delhi, August 5, 2019:

Rajya Sabha MP from Assam and Bodo People's Front (BPF) politician, Biswajit Daimary on Monday extended his party's support to scrapping of Article 370 and 35A of the Constitution, which provided constitutional safeguards to the people of Kashmir.

Addressing the Speaker at the Rajya Sabha today, Daimary said that the Bill is the need of the hour, for the law and order situation and security in the country.

"The situation in Jammu & Kashmir was getting out of hand, and thus, there was a need to change the administrative structure in the State to control the situation", he said.

Daimary also said that this move of the Government is not unconstitutional, as provisions are there to amend the sanctified document as per necessities. "I believe that if normalcy returns to the valley of Kashmir in the next 10 years, statehood can again be granted to them", he added.

He urged the Home Minister to ponder upon the demand of autonomous state by the indigenous peoples of the State under provisions of the Article 244 A of the Indian Constitution.

Speaking about the demand for a separate Bodoland, Biswajit Daimary said that since the contested area is bordered by China and Bhutan, the Central Government should consider granting UT status to the area as well, which will enable the Central Government to monitor the area more closely.

Speaking to Inside Northeast, he said that the activities of Bhutan and China can be monitored if the BTC area is given UT status a la Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. The BPF leader also brought up the issue of separate statehood demand by various communities in the Northeast. "Despite many talks with the Government, concrete solution is yet to be reached, thus, they have to be brought under the ambit of Union Territory", he said.

It may be mentioned that earlier, in an announcement with massive repercussions for Jammu and Kashmir, Home Minister Amit Shah has announced in Rajya Sabha that the government has decided to repeal Article 370 of the Constitution which grants special status to J&K.

The government has also decided to bifurcate the state into two Union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature, and Ladakh, which will be without a legislature.

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