No local support, practically not possible for external forces to revive militancy in Assam: CM Himanta

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No local support, practically not possible for external forces to revive militancy in Assam: CM Himanta



KOKRAJHAR: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said it would be practically not possible for external forces to revive militancy in Assam as there is no local support.“I don’t have confirmed news but there are reports that (Pakistan’s) ISI and sections of Bangladeshi establishments are trying to revive militancy in Northeast. I assess that it will not be practically possible because nobody in Assam now wants to disturb (prevailing) peace,” Sarma said.“Even if there is an effort, it will not have much impact. You cannot run a militancy movement from outside without local support. Today, there is absolutely no local support,” he further stated.He was talking to media in Kokrajhar, the seat of power in Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) that comprises five districts, on the sidelines of a programme organised to mark the completion of five years of the historic Bodo peace accord, signed among Centre, Assam government and some insurgent groups.There have been reports in recent times that Paresh Baruah wants to shift the base of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) that he heads from Myanmar to Bangladesh. Sarma said he felt Baruah stood for peace although he did not come to the negotiating table.The Assam CM said the Bodo accord transformed BTR from a violent region into a peaceful region. “Nobody in Bodoland now talks of bombs and guns but development,” he said.Stating that the accord is a milestone in Assam’s development, Sarma said the Bodo agitation was started with the demand to divide Assam. “On February 17, the state Assembly will have its session in Kokrajhar which symbolises the unity of Assam. The roads, bridges, institutions, peace and progress are the hallmarks of the Bodo accord,” Sarma said.Pramod Boro, chief of the autonomous Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) that administers the five BTR districts, said the last five years had been “golden years” for the people of BTR.“For years, the guns roared in Bodoland. There were killings and violence between communities. People suffered a lot. Now they all are living peacefully. The past five years have been truly transformative for BTR,” Boro, a key architect of the peace accord, said.The BTC is demanding its inclusion in Article 280 of the Constitution to get more funds for the BTR’s development. Boro said he was trying to sustain the existing peace achieved after decades of violence, fear and uncertainty.Sarma said the state government was supporting the Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill, 2019 that seeks to amend provisions related to the Finance Commission and the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. BTC and various autonomous councils in the Northeast come under the Sixth Schedule.“Government is in the process of bringing that amendment. Both of us are hopeful that we will see something positive after the next budget session,” he said.



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