Speaking at a rally in Kokrajhar, Assam, on Friday to celebrate the Bodo peace accord, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a "new dawn of permanent peace" had arrived in the state.
This is Modi's first visit to Assam since mass protests erupted in the state against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in early December. Modi had to cancel a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in December in Guwahati and his participation in the inaugural function of the Khelo India games in January on account of threats of protests.
The Bodo Accord was signed on January 27 by the Modi government with four factions of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) and a civil society group, ending a three decade-long insurgency in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD), now rechristened as Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
At the rally, Modi praised "people's support" for being the reason behind the new dawn of permanent peace in the state. Praising the recent Bodo accord, Modi said, "agreements signed in 1993 and 2003 could not bring permanent peace in BTAD", but the new accord meant there was no demand left.
Modi added, "All communities have won with signing of Bodo peace accord."
Modi declared "We have to work together for peace and development of the northeast." He added his government would not allow violence to return.
Modi boasted about his government's record in the northeast. “Before we came to power, most states in Northeast was under the Armed Forces (AFSPA). After we came to power, most regions of Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh are free from AFSPA,” Modi declared.
Modi also noted, "It is time to implement Clause 6 of Assam Accord." Clause 6 of the Accord calls for constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect and preserve the cultural, social and linguistic identity of the Assamese people.
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Security arrangements had been beefed up around the Jangkhrithai field where Modi gave his address. Officials claimed over 10 lakh people were expected to attend the rally by Modi.
ABSU leaders said that more than 10,000 of their volunteers had assembled in Kokrajhar to take part in a ceremony that it is calling 'Bijoy Utsav'.
The state government had declared a local public holiday on Friday for four districts of BTAD—Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Baksa and Chirang—in view of the prime minister's visit.
