The Bodoland Peoples Front on Thursday severed its 8-year-old alliance with the ruling Congress in Assam accusing it of non-cooperation in development of the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts.
The break-up will, however, not immediately affect the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government as it has absolute majority of its own in the state Assembly.
“The present Congress government has not cooperated at all with us in all round development of the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD). There is no point in continuing in this government if we cannot fulfil the aspirations of the Bodo people,” BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary told reporters here.
Mr. Mohilary, also the Chief of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), said after a meeting of the BPF’s policy-making body that his party failed to provide security to the life and property of the Bodo people despite being in power for so long with its partner Congress.
“BTC has always been deprived of the state government’s fund allocation. The fund allocation is done taking into account the population factor of a particular region, but this has not been the case with us.”
Asked about speculation that the BPF would join the BJP, more particularly for the Assembly elections in the state in 2016, Mr. Mohilary said the party had not decided about it.
BPF has 12 members at present out of 126 in the state Assembly with Chandan Brahma being the only member in Gogoi’s council of ministers with the portfolios of Transport, Tourism and Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Classes in BTAD.
Mr. Brahma and his party colleagues in different government bodies would resign from their posts by tomorrow, Mr. Mohilary said.
The BTAD-based party had joined Congress in 2006, when Tarun Gogoi had formed his second government in Assam. BPF was formed when terrorist group BLT surrendered and joined mainstream politics after an agreement with the government.
