Hagrama Mohilary

Kokrajhar, Sept. 25: The facade of unity in the Bodo heartland crumbled today with Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief Hagrama Mohilary floating parallel district units of the party that was supposed to be the united political face of the troubled community.

The split in the Bodoland People?s Progressive Front (BPPF) came in the midst of efforts by the All Bodo Students? Union (Absu) and the Bodo Sahitya Sabha to reunite Mohilary and party president Rabiram Narzary, who had fallen out during the first election to the Bodo council earlier this year.

Mohilary formed the Kokrajhar, Gossaigaon and Parbatjhora district committees of the BPPF at a two-day special political convention at Debargaon near Kokrajhar, which concluded today. However, many senior leaders, including the Bodo MLAs, two MPs, Absu leaders and Bodo Sahitya Sabha leaders, did not attend the convention. More district committees are likely to be constituted.

Talking to the media before today?s meeting began, Mohilary said formation of new party committees had become necessary as the existing ones had failed to call a meeting of the party after the BTC election.

?Lack of co-ordination and non-functioning of both the district and central committee have triggered a crisis in the primary level. There were no guidelines from the top, making it impossible for the lower-level workers to function properly,? he said.

On the efforts at reunification among the party leadership, Mohilary said a lot depends on the Absu.

?Absu has to play a proactive role in this regard. Absu should pressurise the BPPF central committee to hold a party meeting and sort out the differences,? Mohilary said.

The former chairman of the now-defunct Bodoland Liberation Tigers said the party should convene a meeting of the central committee by the second week of October. ?If they fail, then formation of another central committee cannot be ruled out,? he warned.

Karendra Brahma and Derhasat Basumatary were selected as president and secretary of Kokrajhar district co-mmittee. Hem Chandra Bra-hma and Nabajit Brahma were selected as president and secretary of Parbatjhora committee while Majendra Brahma was elected as chief convener of Gossaigaon unit.