BTR peace vs past violence: Pramod Boro hits back at Hagrama, reacts to alliance buzz

United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) president and Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) Chief Executive Member Pramod Boro has responded to discussions surrounding a possible alliance between the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) and UPPL for the upcoming BTC elections.

The talks stem from a call made by the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) and 16 other Bodo community organisations, urging Bodo-based political parties to unite in the interest of protecting the Bodo people. The joint appeal, made on ABSU’s initiative, had set August 12 as the deadline for discussions.

Speaking in Chirang today, Pramod Boro said that such appeals by community organisations are sometimes successful and sometimes not, but if the call is made in the interest of the nation, it deserves respect. “Whether it resolves political issues or not is another matter,” he said.

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Taking a swipe at former BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary, Boro stated, “If Hagrama Mohilary finds satisfaction in criticising me, I have nothing to say. Even during his rule, I fought against him as a student leader. His tenure saw killings, violence, dictatorship, fratricidal clashes, and cold-blooded murders. We fought against him then, and we defeated him to bring peace to the BTR over the past five years.”

Boro stressed that leadership determines whether things turn good or bad. Responding to a question on whether UPPL is under pressure from the BJP’s aggressive politics in the BTC polls, he avoided naming any party but asserted, “We have no fear or apprehension about anyone’s politics. Many will say many things and try to scare us with threats, but we cannot abandon our region. Whatever good happens here must be acknowledged, and whatever goes wrong must be corrected.”