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The Hindu
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Eyeing the Bodoland pie
Peace sells in a region scarred by decades of extremism. In 2003, the Government of India, the Government of Assam, and the Bodo Liberation Tigers signed a peace accord, which led to the creation of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), an autonomous body to to govern the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). The BTC was established as a political alternative to the demand for a separate Bodoland state. The Bodoland People's Front (BPF), a political party formed largely by members of the disbanded Bodo Liberation Tigers, ruled the BTR until December 2020. The end of its 17-year rule was partly because of another peace accord in January 2020 and partly because of the BPF's divorce from its 'big brother', the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The 2020 peace pact, catalysed by the influential All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU), was between the government and all the factions of another set of extremists — the National Democratic Front of Boroland. Pramod Boro, then the ABSU president and one of the key architects of the peace process, became the president of the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), the BPF's long-term rival across the BTR. The BJP, claiming to have brought peace to the north-east and paved the way for development, found in Mr. Boro's image as a peace broker an opportunity to penetrate the areas under the tribal council where mainstream parties had little or no traction after 2003. The BPF, dumped by the BJP, became the single-largest party by winning 17 of the 40 seats in the 2020 BTC polls. The UPPL, which won 12 seats, and the BJP, with nine, formed the government in the BTC along with a regional party that won one seat. The Congress managed to win one seat and became the BPF's short-term ally in February 2021. Over the next few years, defections from the BPF and Congress saw the UPPL and BJP's tally increase to 15 and 14 seats, respectively. The UPPL-led government in the BTC, allegedly rendered bankrupt by the BPF, exuded inclusivity in the rebuilding process across the BTR, which had a history of conflicts between the dominant Bodos, the largest plains tribe in the north-east, and a majority of the 19 non-Bodo communities, including the Assamese and the Bengali-speaking Muslims. Mr. Boro's outreach was underlined by the Bhutan-inspired Bodoland Happiness Mission launched in 2024 and a community-based road map for development of the smallest of communities. According to him, the post-2020 BTR was vastly different from the pre-2020 BTR, ruled by instability and division along community lines. The UPPL has been banking on the 'unprecedented' peace and associated development across the five-district BTR for a second term, either on its own or in an alliance. There is apparently no strain in the ties between the UPPL and the BJP, but the latter has often indicated it could befriend the BPF again. The BJP, reportedly miffed by a less pliant leadership in the BTC unlike its counterparts in the two other tribal councils – Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council – under the Sixth Schedule in Assam, has decided to go it alone in the BTC polls, likely to be held by September-end. If that is not enough, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma began campaigning in the BTR extensively, claiming that the region was reaping the benefits of peace because of the BJP. He also said that the non-tribal communities would have nothing to fear in Bodoland till he was alive. 'Remember that you are safe and have equal rights because the BJP is here, and there will be no second-class citizens,' he said. Bodo organisations did not react to the Chief Minister's alleged bid to polarise the BTR electorate on ethnic lines. However, the All-Assam Tribal Sangha condemned State BJP president Dilip Saikia's assurance to non-Bodos that the laws specific to the autonomous councils would be amended for them to purchase land in the tribal blocks and belts. The BJP's approach to the BTC polls indicates a design to weaken the hold of its smaller allies in specific areas. This is evident from its oblique advice to another regional ally, the Asom Gana Parishad, to stay away from the BTC polls. The Congress and other non-National Democratic Alliance parties have slammed the BJP's 'divisive' campaign as a show of desperation to win the BTC polls.
Phone Arena
4 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Think US carriers are bad? The UK's 5G could collapse – here's the real reason
Is 5G really that important? Yes, it's crucial for me. It's nice to have, but not crucial. 4G is enough. Yes, it's crucial for me. 0% It's nice to have, but not crucial. 0% 4G is enough. 0% – BPF Director of Policy, Ion Fletcher, August 2025 People often complain about poor 5G service, but in the US, carriers and regulators try to expand and enhance it. In contrast, in the UK, it looks like somebody is actively sabotaging 5G I'm not talking about another wave of arsonists, like in 2020 A new research warns that the UK's plan to expand mobile networks is in trouble . A nationwide survey of over 500 landowners found that steep rent cuts and frequent legal pressure are driving many property owners to consider removing mobile network equipment from their result? Well, 5G rollout could be massively slowed landowners, known as site providers, include farmers, schools, charities, local councils, churches, and even NHS trusts. They host the physical infrastructure that makes mobile networks work, such as masts and antennas. Sometimes that's a standalone tower, other times the equipment is mounted on a problem began in 2017, when the UK government changed the rules under the Electronic Communications Code (ECC). Before, landlords could negotiate rent based on market rates. The ECC replaced that system with something similar to compulsory purchase pricing, where payments are based on the land's value for basic use rather than its value to the telecom led to sharp drops in income for site providers. More than 80% of survey respondents reported rent cuts of over 80–90%, making it financially unattractive to host equipment. On top of that, 34% said they now have extra costs from hosting, hitting smaller organizations like schools and charities particularly have escalated further because 68% of landowners with expired leases say they have faced legal threats or pressure from telecom companies, often to accept lower rents or less favorable terms. This has resulted in more than 1,000 legal disputes so far. The government is now proposing to expand the ECC rules to another 15,000 sites across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, a move many landowners say will worsen the not hard to see how this could seriously damage the UK's 5G rollout. Unlike older mobile networks, 5G needs a lot more masts placed closer together. Many of these masts are on private property, but only 23% of the people surveyed said they are very likely to renew their agreements. Nearly half are still unsure, which means the country could lose important sites. Without them, many areas could end up with "mobile blackspots", where phone signal is weak or even completely the way, network analytics company Ookla findings show the UK ranks 24th out of 30 Northern European countries for 5G availability, with just 45% coverage.
Indian Express
7 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
As BJP flies solo in Bodo Council polls, calls for its NDA partner, former ally to unite may complicate matters
With campaigning for the coming Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections in Assam heating up, the BJP has thrown itself headlong into the contest without an alliance with its NDA partner United People's Party Liberal (UPPL). This has opened the door for Bodo groups to call for rival regional parties UPPL and the Bodo People's Front (BPF), a former BJP ally, to join hands to safeguard Bodo rights. The 46-member BTC, in which 40 members are elected, has been led by the UPPL's Pramod Boro since 2020 with the BJP's support after a dramatic turn of events. Boro dethroned the BPF's Hagrama Mohilary who had held the Bodoland Council since its first election in 2005. The BJP had been the BPF's ally at the state level since 2016 and registered its best showing in 2020, winning nine seats as the BPF emerged as the single-largest party with 17 seats. However, the party lent its support to the UPPL that won 12 seats. The newly formed alliance, supported by one elected member from the regional Gana Suraksha Party, formed the council. The alliance continued in the 2021 Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls too, breaking the BPF's dominance in Bodo politics. The BTC is an autonomous self-governing body under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, a special provision that allows for greater political autonomy and decentralised governance in certain tribal areas of the Northeast. The BTC was formed in 2003 and has jurisdiction over the Bodo-inhabited districts of Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Baksa, Chirang and Tamulpur that collectively form the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR). The BTR is home to several communities apart from the Bodos, including Bengali Muslims, Assamese, Adivasis, Koch-Rajbongshis, Rabhas, Garos, and Nepalis. While the official demographic details of the non-Bodo and Bodo populations are not available, it is estimated that the non-Bodo communities account for nearly 70% of the region's population. Since the UPPL's rise, there have been attempts to get the two Bodo parties to form a united front, something that Bodo organisations are now pushing, led by the All Bodo Students' Union and the Bodo Sahitya Sabha ahead of the BTC elections that are expected to be held in September. This was announced by leaders of a set of Bodo organisations last week, who said they had sent letters to both Boro and Mohilary and were hoping for a 'positive response' by August 12. Claiming they do not want 'divisions' within the community, Bodo Sahitya Sabha general secretary Nilakanta Goyary said, 'The peace we have in the BTC region today, we never want it to be damaged. The BTC region is always called 'Bodo bhoomi' and we want it to remain Bodo bhoomi.' While different leaders in both regional parties say they are in favour of a united front in principle, neither side seems ready to take a decisive step towards an alliance, with Mohilary and Boro continuing to take swipes at each other. The BPF has already announced an initial list of 22 candidates and Mohilary has repeatedly stated he intends for his party to contest all 40 seats. However, leaders of both parties told The Indian Express that discussions on this matter were on the table. While this is underway, the BJP is campaigning with all guns blazing, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has been addressing continuous political meetings in the region since August 2. Statements by Sarma and Assam BJP chief Dilip Saikia foregrounding the question of equal land rights to all communities living in the BTC region — where there are restrictions on land ownership and transfers under the Sixth Schedule and Assam's regulations for protected tribal belts and blocks — have caused discontent among Bodo leaders and organisations. In particular, a repeated refrain by Sarma that 'there cannot be second-class citizens in the BTC' and a statement by Saikia seemingly questioning why other 'indigenous' communities of Assam were prevented from buying land in the BTC have touched a raw nerve. However, UPPL general secretary Raju Narzary, who has lashed out against these comments and asked the BJP to 'clarify' who it was referring to as 'second-class citizens,' claimed that the push for a united front was not linked to the current campaign. 'We are positive about the question of unification of regional parties, it is something that we have been talking about for the last year and a half. But it has been halted in the past for various reasons. This push is not directed against any party but for the future of the BTC and about permanent peace and stability in the region. The BTR is a very small region with a population of only around 3.5 million and within it, the Bodos are an even smaller population. If there is only one political party from among the Bodos, it will be a more forceful and powerful voice and will be able to realise different divisions. The talks are still unofficially happening,' he told The Indian Express. BPF vice-president Emmanuel Moshahary accused the BJP of engaging in divisive politics in an attempt to capture non-Bodo votes. 'They are trying to attract the non-Bodos … The region is under constitutional protections, and they are saying that others are second-class citizens. We are not operating under a separate Constitution and we have to remember the level of deprivation that was here,' he said.
The Hindu
10-08-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Regional rivals urged to unite ahead of Bodoland polls in Assam
The bid of the Bharatiya Janata Party to be the dominant political entity in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) may bring two rival regional parties together ahead of the elections to the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), expected to be held in September. The BTC governs the BTR comprising five districts across western and north-central Assam. The Bodos are the largest ethnic group in the BTR. Leaders of the influential All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) and other Bodo organisations have urged the United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) and the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) to contest the upcoming polls together. The UPPL is the current ally of the BJP, and the BPF is a former ally. The other organisations include the Bodo Sahitya Sabha and forums of former members of two disbanded extremist groups, Bodoland Liberation Tigers and National Democratic Front of Bodoland. ABSU president Dipen Boro said the organisations have proposed unification to UPPL president Pramod Boro and his BPF counterpart Hagrama Mohilary. Pramod Boro is the head of the BTC, which the UPPL rules in alliance with the BJP. 'We sent a letter on the unification issue to both the leaders on August 5. We expect a positive response by August 12,' he said, adding that the people of BTR want the rivalry between the two parties to end as they do not want the region to relapse into the kind of violence it witnessed earlier. Pramod Boro said his party would consider the proposal, but pointed out that a united political front cannot be one-sided. 'We do not believe in the politics of division as unity in diversity is the essence of India, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasises through his 'sabka saath, sabka vikas' call,' he said. 'We have no problem in contesting the council polls together. We have given a written reply to the organisations. It is now the turn of the UPPL chief to do so,' Mr Mohilary said. 'Welcome proposa' Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomed the proposal for unity between the UPPL and BPF. However, the BJP is believed to have made the two BTR-specific parties jittery by indicating it would contest all 40 seats in the BTC after months of keeping its option of a pre-poll alliance with either the UPPL and the BPF open. The BJP is keen on controlling the BTC after years of wielding power in two other tribal councils formed under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India – Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council. In the last BTC polls held in December 2020, the BPF emerged as the single-largest party with 17 seats, followed by the UPPL with 12, and the BJP with nine. Congress and the Gana Suraksha Party won one seat each. Defections from the BPF and Congress resulted in the UPPL and BJP gaining seats, increasing their counts to 15 and 14, respectively. Meanwhile, the BTC polls appear to have driven a wedge between the BJP and its other regional ally, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). Addressing an event of the Kokrajhar district BJP unit a few days ago, the Chief Minister said his party was neither against the UPPL nor the BPF. 'However, lotus will bloom in the BTC,' he said, while claiming the BJP was primarily instrumental in ensuring lasting peace in the BTR. He also had a word of advice for the AGP, which decided to go solo in the BTC polls. 'The AGP should contest if it thinks it can win seats in the BTC. The party should not fight to defeat the BJP,' he said. Phani Bhushan Choudhury, the AGP's Lok Sabha member, was quick to clarify that his party's decision to contest the BTC independently was the outcome of an agreement among the alliance partners. 'Our decision is not aimed at undermining our allies,' he said.
Time of India
10-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
CM: There will be no 2nd-class citizens if BJP wins BTC polls
1 2 3 4 Guwahati: There will be no 'second-class citizens' if BJP forms the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday. As he continued the marathon campaign in BTC areas in lower Assam ahead of the upcoming council polls that are likely to be held in Sept, Sarma focused on BJP's own promises rather than criticising Hagrama Mohilary's Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) and Pramod Boro-led United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) — two other strong contenders in BTC. While the land rights issue has been of paramount importance in the state amid the recent eviction drives, Sarma, while addressing a rally in Baksa district's Dihira, said every needy family must benefit from the beneficiary schemes of the Centre and state govt, besides having land rights. "Journalists ask me: who is a first-class citizen and who is a second-class citizen? My answer is: those who have land deeds are first class citizens, but those who do not are second class citizens. Those who have houses are first-class citizens, but those who do not are second-class citizens," Sarma said. He added that the differences between first class and second class citizens is also marked by people receiving benefits of the Orunodoi scheme (monthly financial assistance for needy women) or having access to pucca roads. "If BJP forms govt in BTC, there will be no second-class citizens here. All will be first-class citizens," he said. Sarma said BTC is for all, including indigenous tribal communities. Everyone will enjoy equal rights and will start thinking of the Bodoland Territorial Region as their own. "We are not against UPPL or BPF, but we will make BJP victorious this time to resolve the people's issues," said Sarma at a time when the chorus is growing for the unification of UPPL and BPF, which were arch-rivals in BTC. Though BJP has not finalised in how many of the total 40 council constituencies it will contest, Sarma earlier said that towards the end of August, BJP will finalise the number of seats in which the saffron party will contest the BTC polls, an important election before the 2026 assembly polls. While asserting that BTC is his top priority, he said that he has visited this once violence-affected region more than 200 times after becoming CM in 2001. Sarma said that the illegal arms in BTR have been returned to the govt. "Time has changed in BTR. No one can dictate voting with guns now, but they have to seek votes with folded hands," Sarma said. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
