Even as the deadline set by agitating All Bodo Students’ Union and All-Koch-Rajbongshi Students’ Union for announcement of dates for tripartite talks by the Centre over their demand for separate state almost comes to an end, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi to apprise them of the situation back home.
The ABSU and AKRSU have threatened vigorous agitation after August 15 in case the Centre fails to announce date to hold dialogue with them on their demand. They had conveyed this to Gogoi during discussions with him last week.
“I have already met the prime minister and the UPA chairperson and explained to them the ground situation. I am hopeful that the Centre would announce a date for talks with these groups soon,” Gogoi, who is in New Delhi, said on Tuesday.
Gogoi said he had explained to both Dr Singh and Sonia Gandhi about the situation in Assam in the wake of Centre’s announcement on Telangana statehood.
Gogoi maintained that his government was against further division of Assam and hoped that present crisis arising out of renewed agitation for statehood by ethnic groups in the satte could be resolved through talks.
“Why set deadlines like three or four days? Give the government some more time, some reasonable time. The Centre needs to weigh the pros and cons of the issues before actually taking a formal decision to invite them to talks,” Gogoi said.
Meanwhile, Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State and Hill State Democratic Party have all threatened to resume ‘vigorous’ agitations immediately after Independence Day to press for their demand for a separate state comprising two hill districts of Assam -- Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao.
ABSU president Promode Bodo said, “We had given a deadline of August 13 for announcement of date for tripartite talks by the Centre. Now that it has expired, we have asked our people to prepare for a long agitation programme. If the government doesn’t announce a date fir talks, we will going to renew the agitation after the Independence Day. ”
The ABSU demands a separate state for Bodo tribe in Assam.
The ABSU leaders are scheduled to meet in Kokrajhar on Tuesday night to decide on future course of action in case no response is forthcoming from the Union government to their call for a date for talks.
