GUWAHATI: Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday announced a massive development package for the four districts administered under Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), setting the ground for BJP’s next agenda to conquer the 12 crucial assembly seats influenced by the 24 lakh voters of the autonomous area.
At the swearing-in function of the new BTC council chief administrator Pramod Boro of UPPL at Kokrajhar, Sarma announced that 40 new colleges would come up in all the 40 constituencies of the BTC. “Apart from 40 new colleges, we will also set up one full-fledged stadium each in the 40 constituencies,” Sarma said.
“The state government has decided to begin the construction of model colleges in Udalguri, Tamulpur and Chirang each within the next month,” he added. He further said a new medical college would be established in Tamulpur while a campus of Bodoland University would be established in Udalguri.
“Besides generously providing funds, the Assam government will cooperate with BTC chief Pramod Boro for development in BTC areas,” he added.
Sarma said the primary objective is to implement the BTR accord signed between Bodo groups, NDFB, Centre and the state government in January last.
“Before coming to Kokrajhar on Tuesday, we have cleared the rehabilitation package for NDFB cadres (part of the BTR accord) and Rs 60 crore has been set aside for this. The Centre has already announced Rs 1500 crore for BTR and the state government has already budgeted its share of Rs 750 crore, which will be utilized by the new administration,” Sarma announced.
He said the state government has already taken several decisions towards implementation of the provisions of the BTR Accord, which includes Bodos settled outside BTR. The state government will set up a Bodo-Kachari Welfare Council for focused development of the Bodo villages there.
“The Government of Assam has already notified Bodo language in the Devanagari script as an associate official language in the state,” he said.
The assembly elections are due in April and BJP had left these 12 seats to its then ally Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) in the seat-sharing arrangement. BPF has been winning all the 12 seats since 2006 and in that year with these 12 seats, BPF saved the then minority Congress government to stay in power.
Sarma, after making the announcements, said, “Our support to BTC is unconditional.” But during the campaigning period, Sarma frequently referred to winning the 12 assembly seats in the BTR as BJP’s next objective.