Ranjan Daimary, Chairmen of anti-talk faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) has stated that his outfit is not willing to extend the cease fire which the outfit had declared with the Government of India. Accusing the centre of not willing to indulge in a lateral dialogue with the outfit, NDFB (Anti-talk) sent a press release few days that they would call off the cease fire.

The blame game as again is on the centre and some Bodo organizations are complaining of bias. According to them, there is a clear bias showed towards ULFA in their coming lateral talks, while NDFB has been neglected. NDFB’s call to withdraw their one sided ceasefire is therefore considered as justified. But is it really justified?

Who was NDFB actually fighting and against whom was the ceasefire

From the day NDFB came into existence, the outfit has fought hardly ten battles or notable gun fights against the Indian Army. Its main fight was always seen to be innocent civilians, including Bodos and the Assamese. Before the Gobinda Basumatary led NDFB (pro-talk) faction declared ceasefire, NDFB had carried large scale bombing and killing innocent civilians in spree. With the Ranjan Daimary faction, the terror just continued as ever for the civilians. The black 30th October blasts at Ganeshguri, Guwahati or the several railway line blasts that took lives of innocent children and people were war for the NDFB. Now it threatens to call off the ceasefire and go to war again! This only means the outfit intends to carry out some more bomb blasts and kill innocents.

NDFB – Biggest enemy of Bodos and Assam

There are still many in the Bodo areas of Assam who considers NDFB as a savior or a fighter of their clan. Unfortunately the same people have given a blind eye to the fact that NDFB always acted against their own people whom they claim to fight for.

The Influence of the Christian Missionaries and the Western countries

NDFB, being strongly backed by Christian missionaries of the west carried out large scale religious conversion of the Bodos, to the extent that the rich culture of the Bodos was threatened. The Hindu Bodos were isolated and some even forcefully converted under the influence of the Missionary backed NDFB. Due to such activity, NDFB was able to attract so many sources of funds from the west and pleased missionaries that they had M-16 guns with them. Even the ULFA who raised much more funds from Assam never had M-16 guns till very recent days.

The dog-fight and fake pride of leadership in NDFB

As per sources, there had taken place an important meeting of the leadership of NDFB and ULFA in 2001, In this meeting held at an unknown location in Bangladesh, the ULFA general council had proposed for unification of both the outfits – NDFB and ULFA. Chairman of ULFA, Arabinda Rajkhowa had offered to step down from his own post and offered Ranjan Daimary to become the chairman of this united outfit. This was being proposed as a mean to unite against the Indian Government and fight for a common cause of Assam. However, Ranjan Daimary and the NDFB had rejected this offer as they enjoyed far more inflow of funds and support from the west (Due to them backing religious conversions). It is also understood that Ranjan Daimary and other leaders did not have any interest for the proposed common cause as it would have meant losing some of their own powers of leadership.

The internal conflicts amongst the NDFB are now an open secret. Gobina Basumatary and Ranjan Daimary are rivals now.

Another example of the fact that the NDFB leaders never cared for anything else other than their own personal powers is their attitude towards fellow leaders lost or lead. One of the most intelligent and popular leaders within NDFB was their Information and Publicity Secretary B Irakdao. However when he went missing during the Bhutan Operations of 2003, the rest of leadership showed a completely uncaring attitude. Unlike the ULFA – the leadership never showed any interest in finding out the whereabouts of their old comrades.

Bodo vs rest of Assam – The cost of Emotional Illiteracy

The chauvinism of the Assam Agitation and later uncaring attitude by the subsequent Government in Assam had led an entire generation of Bodos revolting against the system. For this, it cannot be denied that some of the politicians of Assam as well as the section of the middle class Assamese are to be blamed. It is true that the Bodos of Assam, son of the soil have been neglected for long. But is it not true for every common man of the North East? Be it be the mainstream Assamese, a Meitei, a Hmar or a Mising, every one of the region can claim of injustice. But if the way out of it is hatred towards others, where is the future of the region?

The way NDFB has led their campaign is completely illogical and shameful to their own kiln. Their campaign is only a campaign of hatred. Hate towards the Assamese and other tribes and communities of Assam is manifested in their actions and words. This has led the young generation of Bodos growing up to hate the fellow people, even each other from their own community.

Never in the history of the region was any state or kingdom called Bodoland. The tribes and communities of the region have been living in harmony with each other for thousands of years. Yet the NDFB and their supports want to break off this harmony and create their own acre of land, completely selfishly. More importantly they want to get this done by killing innocent people in bomb blasts, gun shots and train blasts, which they call as war unfortunately. The state of Bodoland has become the demand, though it is completely illogical and will only harm the Bodos as well as rest of Assam. The Bodoland Territorial Council in fact enjoys the same status of a state and the Bodos are completely autonomous, enjoys more facility and rights than many other people of the region.

The truth is Bodoland by NDFB is a demand not for the Bodos, but for the leaders of the outfit where they can become powerful personalities (crossing the likes of Hagrama Mohilary and Pramila Rani Brahma). The understanding has not dawned for the NDFB and their blind supports that a state or nation carved out of hatred towards people living in and around them will only lead to more violence.

The time now calls for the Bodos, Rabhas, Misings, Tiwas, Deoris, Ahoms, Kalitas, Koch Rajbangshis, Brahmins, Sonowal Kacharis and all indigenous people of the state to unite together and fight for common cause. Division amongst all of us is the biggest strength to the enemies. The Government of India would not mind ruling all of us separately at all and this leaves us with little chance to revolt, protest or to stand up for ourselves. The call for all blood brothers of Assam is to get united now. Divided we all fall.