THE BODO UNREST: FROM UDAYACHAL POLITICS TO MILITANT ASSERTIONAND THE BTC ACCORD

Abstract

The Bodo unrest is a popular subject matter that has earned enormous attention in both the regional and national political discourses. It was mainly, after the hardliner factions taking dictate of assertion in 1990s. Initial stage of assertion was moderate and non-violent. This paper mainly focuses the PTCA’s politics of Udayachal, the failed BAC accord of 1990s, and the rise of militant assertion. Alongside, the paper also attempted to throw light on election politics of the PTCA and that of Bodo political parties in the background of social unrest. The PTCA was a tribal political party, who had a dictate in the Bodo belt in 1970s, so long it did not deviate from the Udayachal demand. With the ABSU, taking over the Bodo assertion in late 1980s, the PTCA withered completely from the arena of tribal politics. ABSU became the leader of Bodo community and dictate the 1990s homeland assertion. In 1993, the first Bodo accord was signed but it remained non-starter. This failed accord gave a birth to BLT, a hardliner after the fruitless result with soft technique of assertion. Thereafter, the violent militant assertion, fratricidal killing amongst themselves in a bid to dominate Bodo politics, and ethnic conflicts took the nest. This study throws observation and critical analysis of the secondary source.

Keywords: Assertion, Bodo, BAC, BTC, PTCA, Udayachal