Kokrajhar: The All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) has warned that the reported removal of the Bodo language nameplate from the Assam Legislative Assembly building could revive the demand for a separate Bodoland state.
ABSU president Kwrwmdaoto Wary said in Kokrajhar on Friday that the issue is not merely about a nameplate. He described it as a matter of linguistic dignity, constitutional recognition and the Bodo people’s historical struggle for identity and equality.
Wary said Bodo is included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and that its reported removal from the Assembly building could be seen by the community as a denial of its identity and recognition.
He said the Bodo movement had long sought dignity, recognition and equitable treatment for the Bodo people and their language.
The ABSU president said the reported removal raised questions about whether constitutional recognition was being reflected in practice. He said the issue went beyond administrative signage and concerned the Bodo community’s place in Assam’s political and cultural identity.
Wary said such incidents could revive memories of historical marginalisation and reinforce concerns about linguistic discrimination. He warned that the issue could alienate the Bodo community and strengthen demands for greater autonomy.
Referring to the historical link between linguistic identity and political aspirations in India, he said the controversy had renewed the need to discuss the future of the Bodo people and their cultural and literary existence.
Wary said the demand for a separate Bodoland state could re-emerge as an option to secure dignity, recognition and protection of the community’s linguistic and cultural identity. He said ABSU might be compelled to reconsider the idea of the Bodo people’s continued existence within Assam if such concerns remained unaddressed.
He maintained that the controversy was about the implementation of constitutional promises and the recognition of the Bodo community’s historical struggle for justice and equality.
The Bodo National Students’ Union (BoNSU) staged a protest demonstration against the reported removal of the Bodo language from the Assam Assembly building.
The protest was held along JD Road near the main gate of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Secretariat in Kokrajhar.
Protesters carried placards and criticised the authorities concerned over the issue.
BoNSU demanded the immediate reinstatement of the Bodo language with dignity. Hundreds of members and citizens took part in the demonstration and urged the Assam government and the BTC administration to restore the Bodo language in the Assembly building.
BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary said he had communicated with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and discussed the matter.
He said the Chief Minister had assured him that the issue would be resolved through discussion.