DATELINE Guwahati/Wasbir Hussain
Bodo politics: power-hungry leaders, stunned masses
It�s unfortunate, but such is the hunger for power. So, neither the ex-bosses of the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT), nor the flag-bearers of Bodo nationalism, the former and some present leaders and volunteers of the All Bodo Students� Union (ABSU), have turned out to be any different. After all, elections are meant to be won, come what may!
The maiden elections to the Bodoland territorial Council (BTC) are less than a week away. The Bodos, and others in Assam for that matter, had perhaps thought that the polls to the 40-member elective body would enable all democratic forces in the Bodo heartland to contest, get elected and work sincerely for the comparatively downtrodden masses in the area. Wasn�t it for their people that the ABSU-BLT combine had fought for all these years?
It�s true that the BTC Accord of 2003 did lead to the creation of three new districts and an annual outlay of Rs 100 crore to the BTC to start with. Besides, several government departments were transferred to the control of the new politico-administrative structure. But, the hard reality has been that there was not just enough political space within the new set up for the various players in the murky Bodo political arena.
The results are there for everyone to see. If anyone thought that the ABSU, the BLT, the All Bodo Women�s Welfare Federation (ABWWF) or the former ABSU leaders were all part of a strong and united Bodo force whose sole interest was to work for the uplift of their people and boost the areas they inhabit, they have been proved wrong.
A month ago, it appeared that the pro-ABSU-BLT forces would be so formidable that other political players like the Congress, the AGP and others may not have any relevance at all in the coming BTC polls. But, that was not to be. Today, we find the BLT battling the ABSU and the nascent Bodo political party, the Bodo People�s Progressive Front (BPPF).
It�s now clear that there was no unanimity in the selection of former ABSU president Rabiram Narzary as the chief of the BPPF. Narzary�s appointment as the leader of the BPPF gave out an indication that he could be the natural choice for the coveted post of the BTC chief executive member after the polls. Where would the former BLT boss and the chief of the interim BTC Hagrama Mahilary fit in at the post-poll power game?
The way the ex-BLT chief is campaigning for his former comrades, many of whom are in the fray as independents, fighting the official BPPF candidates, it is amply clear that he is bent on having his loyalists elected and then grab the hot seat with their backing. The BPPF, one can safely say, has actually split even before it has taken off. And, the BLT seems to be garnering the support of Adivasi and other non-Bodo groups in a case of one-upmanship.
The violent clash between some former BLT militants (many of whom are wrongfully designated special police officers as part of their rehabilitation package) and supporters of ex-ABSU chief Narzary at Serfanguri earlier this week gives a curtain-raiser of things to follow. I would imagine that if good sense does not prevail now (it is unlikely to prevail), the Bodo heartland will once again witness a bloody fratricidal feud.
The real problem seems to be that the Bodos today have too many leaders, and each one is eyeing the top spot in the BTC. Some of these contenders are: current BTC chief Hagrama Mahilary, BPPF president Rabiram Narzary, Rajya Sabha MP U.G.Brahma, Lok Sabha MP S.K.Bwiswmutiary, and several others waiting in the wings.
The way things are moving, the divide between the former BLT men and the ABSU could widen so much that bridging it might become difficult. And, if the BPPF split becomes formal, it will go the way of the Bodoland People�s Party (BPP) that was divided in 1993 for exactly the same reason: leadership tussle.
In the ultimate analysis, it is seen that ethnic groups in the region can unitedly fight a violent movement with other like-minded forces to extract their pound of flesh from the Government, but cannot work unitedly for the benefit of their own people. This is the tragedy that afflicts the tribes-people in the North-east. Right now, it is the ordinary Bodos who are at the receiving end of their community leaders� power games. (Feedback: [EMAIL PROTECTED])
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