A year after signing BTR Accord, NDFB factions demand its ‘revision’

TAMULPUR: Exactly a year after the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) Accord, the four factions of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) today sought “revision” of the accord to address all issues of the stakeholders.

Holding the first anniversary of the accord signing, all the four factions of NDFB congregated at a park at Matanga Par in Tamulpur in Baksa district today and resolved that the BTR Accord was not up to their expectations. The NDFB factions believed that the accord could not achieve the objectives of the disbanded outfits.

The BTR Accord was signed between the Centre, Assam government and various Bodo organizations, including the four NDFR outfits, on January 27, 2020. The Bodoland Territorial Council, headed by Pramod Boro, a signatory of the BTR Accord, has already celebrated the first anniversary of the BTR Peace Accord in Kokrajhar over the past weekend. The NDFB factions observed the BTR signing anniversary separately today.

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The NDFB factions today alleged that not all the NDFB factions were allowed to negotiate at the time of the agreement.

NDFB leader Dhiren Boro said the BTR agreement was not an answer to the objectives of their 34-year-long armed struggle and, therefore, “the agreement should be revised”.

“If it was a peace treaty, then why is Ranjan Daimari is still behind bars? Why are so many NDFB leaders still in jails, and why so many leaders are being prosecuted? questioned Boro.

He also said the BTR agreement could not solve the issues of the large communities as well as people of other ethnic groups in the BTR area.