Towards peace in the Northeast
Resolving the long-pending issue of the Bodo Community and the repatriation of Bru-reang in Tripura is a positive step by the government in building stability and peace in the Northeast. Government asked people in any part of the country who are still seeking solutions through violence and weapons to return to the mainstream and resolve it on a platform of peace.
For decades the Bodo, an ethnolinguistic group in Assam has sustained a bloody armed struggle demanding their own separate state. The Bodo tribe has been complaining that their land in Assam was occupied by other communities. The movement started witnessing violence in the 1980,s. The government of India has signed three agreements with the tribe so far in 27 years.
In January, the Government of India signed a tripartite peace accord with insurgent groups, that led 1600 cadres to lay down their arms. The Bodo Accord provides political rights and economic benefits to the tribal areas. Without seeking a separate state. The agreement will ensure the safety of the Bodo language and culture. A scheme named swabalamban under which it has been set to provide self-employment support to 1,800 surrendered militants. The Bodo Accord also promised skill development programmes and recruiting those not engaged in heinous crimes into security forces.
Recently government signed a tripartite agreement for the permanent settlement of Bru Reang in Tripura ending the 23-year-old community crisis. 5000 families fled from Mizoram and took refuge in Tripura due to ethnic tension. The agreement enables the permanent settlement of the Bru in Tripura and a rehabilitation package of rupees 600 crores was also given.
Amidst the CAA protest, people failed to applaud the positive initiatives taken up by the government. This decision will uplift such oppressed communities both socially and economically. It ensures them equality, representation in the mainstream and a chance to improve their lives leaving extremism and getting meaningful employment and education. These initiatives by the government opened a road of development and it paves a way for permanent peace in the Northeastern region. The government must ensure that the terms of the agreement are implemented timely and fairly. Else, it may lead to more violent conflicts.
