Assam: Wives of former NDFB rebels turn flag bearers of Tiranga campaign

GUWAHATI: Wives of former NDFB militants, who once bolstered the morale of their husbands in the “war against the state”, have now turned into flag bearers of the “Har Ghar Tiranga” campaign in Bodoland Territorial Region’s Kachugaon.
Priya Narzary, who leads the 12-member Jwmwi self-help group (SHG) in Jalaisri village that has 250 households, said they woke up to the call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and are stitching the tricolor to be hoisted in their village in Kokrajhar district — once ravaged by Bodo insurgency.
The state government-sponsored Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission is promoting over 2,530 SHGs in Kachugaon, but said SHGs like Jwmwi, where wives of ex-militants are in the lead, have been exemplary.
“The women who are leading the Jwmwi SHG were either fiancées or married when their men were leading the underground movement. Priya herself was encouraged by her husband, who used his expertise to stitch uniforms and flags of the members of his militant group once,” said Prakash Narzary, ASRLM block coordinator, Kachugaon.
“Accha laga. Desh ke liye kiya, dosto ke liye kiya (feeling good as we could do something for the country, our friends),” Priya told TOI.
Priya said her husband, who was in Serphanguri designated camp of the pro-talks faction of NDFB headed by Gobinda Basumatary, is her motivation.
Priya’s neighbour Mery, whose SHG has the responsibility of supplying the tricolor to 150 households in nearby Nasraibil village, said, “I was not professionally trained but learned the basics of stitching from neighbours just to fulfill the target of supplying the Tiranga to the households.”
Her husband Karnesh, a former NDFB cadre of Gobinda Basumatary faction, said, “The mindset of the people has changed in our village, especially after the last Bodo peace accord signed in 2020. Once the people supported the boycott call given by militant outfits on Independence Day but now they want the Tiranga to fly high.”
Most of the women in SHGs have got the sewing machine from the village council development committees.