NDFB drops ‘sovereignty’

The National Democratic Front of Boroland leadership today admitted that it has dropped its demand for sovereignty and is even trying to coax its former chief, the reclusive Ranjan Daimary, to talk peace.

NDFB chairman B.. Sungthagra, in a telephone interview told a national daily that Daimary parted ways with the present leadership last September as he was averse to the idea of giving up the demand for a sovereign Bodoland and settle for a separate state for the Bodos.

“He (Daimary) is not convinced about the futility of the sovereignty demand and so he parted ways with us to form a splinter group,” Sungthagra said, explaining the reason for the split in the outfit.

“But through sympathisers and other channels we are trying to convince him to give up the demand and join the peace process,” he added.

The outfit’s efforts, however, have so far failed to break the ice, Sungthagra said, while attributing the ongoing law and order problems in the Bodoland area to the splinter group headed by Daimary.

The NDFB chairman said the outfit, in a revised memorandum submitted to the government in September last year, had broached its decision to settle for a “homeland for the indigenous tribal people within the framework of the Constitution of India.”

Sources said it was this turnaround by the NDFB leaders, who were holding discussion with the Centre, which infuriated the Bangladesh-based Daimary and he ordered the serial blasts of October 30, 2008 to demonstrate his strength.

The NDFB leadership based in the state subsequently replaced Daimary with Sungthagra.

The outfit’s information and publicity secretary, S. Sanjarang had, however, earlier refuted a claim by Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi that the outfit had given up the demand for sovereignty.

“The NDFB, which is in the peace process with the government of India, had a meeting with the Centre on September 30. At the meeting, the Indian government showed its willingness to resolve the Bodo issue. Both parties had considered a roadmap to speed up the process of negotiation. The NDFB, however, has not given up the demand of sovereignty,” Sanjarang had said.

Sungthagra’s revelation today cleared the ambiguity about the NDFB’s stand on the “sovereignty issue”, which had been a prime hurdle in initiating political talk with the Centre.

“We have given up the sovereignty demand as we do not have the requisite infrastructure for it,” Sungthagra said.

He said now that the outfit has dropped its “sovereignty demand,” it was hopeful of commencing a political dialogues with the Centre.

The NDFB is in a ceasefire with the government since 2005. The present term of the ceasefire will expire on June 30.

Sungthagra said his organisation was also trying to meet various MPs from the region to lobby for its “statehood demand” with the Centre.

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