Telengana storm hits Assam, separate statehood demands get strident

GUWAHATI - Spurred by New Delhi’s attempt at granting a separate Telengana state, several ethnic groups in Assam have raised the banner of revolt with demands for separate states to be carved out of the region.

Among the prominent groups that have already raised the issue of separate statehood are the Bodos, the Karbis, and the Dimasa tribes in Assam.

The first to raise the issue is the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), an ally of the ruling Congress party in Assam.

“If Telengana can be carved out of Andhra Pradesh, why not a separate Bodoland in Assam,” BPF leader Hagrama Mohilary told IANS.

Mohilary headed the now disbanded Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT), a militant group that fought for a separate Bodoland since 1996.

In 2003, the central government signed an accord with the BLT paving the way for the creation of the Bodoland Territorial Council, a politico-administrative structure, providing greater autonomy to the tribal Bodos.

“We are surely going to revive our demand for Bodoland and launch a sustained mass movement to fulfil our aspirations,” Mohilary said.

Similar demands were raised by the All Dimasa Students’ Union and the Dimasa People’s Council (DPC) for a ‘Dimaraji’ state - a separate state for the Dimasa tribe in Assam.

“The government earlier said a state within states was not good, but now with the central government agreeing for Telengana, we also feel we should get our rights. Dimaraji is not just a demand, it is a fact and our birth right,” Mrinal Kanti Phonglosa, DPC president, said.

The Karbi tribe in Assam has also raised a similar demand for a Karbi homeland.

The situation in Assam is more intricate as almost all the tribes demanding separate states are backed by militant groups - the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) seeking a separate Bodoland, the Dima Haolam Daogah (DHD) demanding a Dimaraji state, the Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front seeking a Karbi homeland, besides several other small rebel groups fighting for similar demands.

“The Telengana episode would have a major impact in the region and unless we get our Bodoland there cannot be permanent peace,” S. Sangjarang, publicity chief of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), said.