Dharna in Kokrajhar demanding Bodoland before PM’s state Visit

Guwahati, December 23, 2018:

Representatives from Bodoland movement organizations staged a dharna at Kokrajhar ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Assam to inaugurate the Bogibeel Bridge tomorrow.

The demonstration was staged to assert that agitations for a separate state of Bodoland shall continue until resolved. Citing the examples of creation of Telangana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand, the body stated that the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) was created under the NDA government under former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee under the with a promise to consider the creation of a separate state for Bodos.

The bodies released the following demands in a joint statement: a national policy to regard to the issue of settlement of Bodoland state; expedition of dialogue process on Bodoland state issue at political level; fulfilment of the BJP’s commitments given in the Election Manifesto, 2014; granting political rights to Bodos living outside Bodoland proposed area and granting of ST Hills status to Bodos living in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts.