The slogan “Divide Assam fifty-fifty” is once again becoming shriller by the day as the powerful All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) has reiterated its demand for a separate Bodoland state. Also, the BJP, which has just formed government in Tripura, got a rude shock when its alliance partner—the Indigenous Peoples’ Front of Tripura (IPFT) back-tracked on its commitment of giving up the demand for a separate “Twipraland”.
ABSU president Pramod Boro, pointed out that the BJP, despite its written assurance, has failed to fulfill the 2014 election promise. It had then promised the Bodo people that the creation of a separate Bodo state was on its agenda. “Why is this government, despite its support for smaller states, not responding positively and fulfilling our long-standing demand?” he asked.
It is a fact that the dominant Assamese community has long-neglected the tribal areas of Assam leading to the unrest. Even the creation of a separate autonomous district called the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) in the Bodo areas has failed to satisfy the Bodo people who want to determine their own future.
“Regional imbalance in terms of social and economic development, and unequal distribution of authority and resources damages the attachment among the people in the country,” Boro said. He felt that the only way to redress this sentiment is the creation of smaller states, which the BJP had promised prior to the last parliamentary election.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s partner in the Tripura government, the IPFT, has not shied away from raising its demand for a separate ‘Twipraland’ and urged the prime minister to consider its demand without any delay.
The move by the IPFT has raised many questions. “Did the BJP lie to the electorate when it declared that the IPFT has given up its demand for a separate state when it teamed up with the regional party to fight the just concluded assembly election together? How can they change their stand so quickly?” asked a stunned voter.
Interestingly, the nine-member cabinet of Biplab Deb has two IPFT ministers. One of them is M. Jamatia, who holds the portfolio of forest and tribal welfare, and is also the general secretary of the IPFT. He has not hesitated to join his party colleagues as they held demonstrations for demands. “The party, which is a partner of the government that rejected the demand on separate Twipraland and arrived at a common understanding, afterwhich both the parties forged alliance to form the government, now shifted to its original stand to press for a separate tribal state indicate an ill-omen for the new government,” said Jagadish Debbarma, vice-president, Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT)—IPFT’s rival.
The opposition parties in Tripura like the CPI (M) and the INPT have asked the government to clarify as to how the IPFT has shifted from its commitment so soon and started with their old demand of a separate ‘Twipraland’.