Historic tripartite agreement signed between Centre, Assam govt and nine factions of NDFB

The Centre
today signed an accord with the banned Assam-based insurgent group National
Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). The tripartite agreement was signed in the
presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda
Sonowal.

Joint
Secretary in the Home Ministry Satyendra Garg, Assam Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay
Krishna and top leadership of the four factions of the NDFB signed the
agreement.

 The accord will provide for some political
rights to the Bodo tribals living in Assam and some economic package for the
community.

It is the
third Bodo accord to be signed in last 27 years when the violent movement for a
separate Bodoland state.

The first
Bodo accord was signed with the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) in 1993, leading
to creation of a Bodoland Autonomous Council with limited political powers.

In 2003, the
second Bodo accord was signed with the militant group Bodo Liberation Tigers
(BLT), leading to formation of a Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) with four
districts of Assam, Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baska and Udalguri, called the Bodoland
Territorial Area District (BTAD).

The BTC was
formed under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution. The demand for a separate
state for the Bodos has been going on in Assam for about five decades.