Hailing the Bodo Peace Accord, Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said it is for the first time that the Bodos have accepted that territorial integrity of Assam will remain intact while finding a final comprehensive solution to their demands.
The minister said this while addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Tuesday.
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He said the signing of the Accord on Monday also formally ended the demand for a separate state for Bodos.
Sarma said the demand for separate administrative arrangements for the Bodos started in 1966 with the demand for creation of Udayachal.
”Separate state demand for the Bodos has formally come to an end on Monday after the signing of the Bodo Peace Accord,” he said.
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“Over four thousand people including civilians, security forces and members of the armed groups have been killed during this period,” Sarma said.
Giving credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Accord, Sarma said the Prime Minister has also been able to dispel the fear of further bifurcation of Assam in the days to come.
“Meghalaya, Manipur, and other states have gone away from Assam. However, the Prime Minister has been successful in dispelling the fear that there will be no further bifurcation of the state,” he added.
Sarma also said that the Accord will also bring peace between the Bodos and Non Bodos living in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) as there are provisions for exclusion of non Bodo dominated areas from the BTC and inclusion of Tribal dominated areas in the council.