Bodo front plans massive showdown in Kokrajhar

August 4, 2013

bodoland

Guwahati, Aug 4: The turmoil over statehood demands continued in Assam on Saturday amid stray incidents of violence. While government office and public properties were torched in Karbi Anglong district, the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) is preparing for a massive showdown in Kokrajhar on Sunday to press for the creation of a separate Bodoland State.

Tension gripped the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) areas as vehicles were torched and tyres burnt on roads during a 36-hour State bandh called by the Aboro (non-Bodo) Surksha Samiti, who are opposed to the bifurcation of Assam for the sake of Bodoland.

Bodoland Territorial Council chief executive member and BPF president Hagrama Mohilary, however, said his party would mobilise people living in the proposed Bodoland areas in Sunday’s Statehood demand rally in Kokrajhar.

In Karbi Anglong’s Diphu town, curfew was relaxed for three hours from 8 a.m. to 11 am on Saturday. Assam Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Prithibi Majhi and Water Resources Minister Rajib Lochan Pegu visited the hill town to take stock of the situation.

Karbi Anglong SP Mugdhajyoti Mahanta told The Hindu that there had been two incidents of miscreants setting fire to a bamboo craft training institute and an unmanned firm on Saturday. No incident was reported from Diphu town. In Dongkamokam area under Hamren Sub-division, curfew was clamped on Friday following arson upon government institutions and public properties. Hamren SP Nityananda Goswami, however, said the situation was under control. In Dongkamokam, an office of the Hill State Democratic Party (HSDP), which has been demanding creation of a separate State comprising the two hill districts, was torched.

Kamatapur stir

In the city, hundreds under the banner of the All Koch Rajbangshi Students’ Union (AKRSU) staged a demonstration in front of Raj Bhawan here, demanding the creation of a separate Kamatapur State comprising 15 districts of Assam and six districts of West Bengal, including Darjeeling. AKRSU president Biswajit Ray urged the Bodo organisations to extend support to the movement for Kamatapur claiming that the proposed State had been acknowledged historically among the Koch-Rajbangshis.

The Statehood movement in twin hill districts Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao is now poised to be intensified with 13 organisations forming a Joint Action Committee for Autonomous State (JACAS) to press for the creation of an autonomous State comprising the two hill districts under Article 244 (a) of the Constitution. On the other hand, leaders of the erstwhile militant outfit United People’s Democratic Solidarity tore up the peace accord by which it had agreed to give up arms and settle for enhanced autonomy for Karbi Anglong in lieu of Statehood.

The supporters of Statehood are divided into two groups — one led by the Congress and associated organisations demanding an autonomous State within Assam under Article 244(a) and the other led by the HSDP and associated organisations demanding the creation of a separate State by carving out the two hill districts from Assam.

Trains cancelled

The railway blockade organised by the All Bodo Students’ Union on Friday led to snapping of the rail link between the northeast and rest of India. A railway track was sabotaged in Karbi Anglong. As a result, the Northeast Frontier Railway authorities on Saturday cancelled 15 short-distance passenger trains and two long-distance trains amid difficulties. Thousands of passengers were stranded in Guwahati and other railway stations. The State arranged buses to transship the stranded to the Inter State Bus Terminus.

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News Network
January 7,2020

Mumbai, Jan 7: Against the backdrop of the attack on JNU students, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that what they wanted was happening, and said such "brutal politics" was never seen before in the country.

An editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' further alleged that the BJP wanted to see "Hindu-Muslim riots" over the Citizenship Amendment Act, but that did not happen.

Since the BJP has been cornered over the issue of CAA, several things are happening out of "revenge", it said.

Comparing the attack on Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students to the 26/11 Mumbai terror strikes, the Shiv Sena said: "divisive politics" was dangerous for the country.

It said the Union Home Ministry's decision to file cases against "unknown" attackers at JNU was laughable. "Those who entered JNU with masks are not unknown," it claimed.

On Sunday, a mob of masked young people stormed the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in south Delhi and targeted students in three hostels, unleashing mayhem with sticks, stones and iron rods, hitting inmates and breaking windows, furniture and personal belongings.

Nearly 34 people were injured in the violence.

"The fallout of JNU attack is being seen elsewhere in the country...what Modi and Shah want is happening. The country is in danger. Divisive politics is dangerous for the country," the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.

Terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008, were also masked and the same was seen at JNU. Such elements need to be exposed, it said.

"Allowing blood stains in universities, colleges and beating up of students and indulging in politics over the burning situation...such brutal politics was never seen before," the Marathi publication said while terming the attack on JNU students as a "blot" on the law and order situation.

Lashing out at Amit Shah, the Sena said he his in Delhi and busy distributing official pamphlets door-to-door to promote the Citizenship Amendment Act.

There is "confusion and unrest" in the country over the new citizenship law, it pointed out.

"The BJP wanted to see Hindu-Muslim riots over the issue, but that did not happen. The nationwide protests are not being done by Muslims alone. Hindus will also be affected due to the new Act," the Shiv Sena said.

It said the BJP has been cornered over the CAA issue.

Since the prevailing situation is "BJP versus the rest", hence "out of revenge", several things are happening, the Marathi daily said, adding that "there is room for doubt if the JNU attack was part of the revenge."

The BJP has condemned the violence and said universities should stay away from politics, it noted.

"Who brought violence and politics in universities in the last five years? Who is implementing the policy of destroying those who don't agree with your ideology by use of power?" it asked.

Without taking any name, the Sena said those who call students opposing the CAA as anti-nationals, are themselves anti-national.

"When Amit Shah accuses Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi of inciting violence, he admits that the Gandhi siblings have that much power to create mass awareness against a law brought in by the Centre and bring people to streets," the Sena said.

One cannot say if the Gandhi siblings incited violence, but one thing is sure that the Union Home Minister and his party are forced to distribute pamphlets to "clarify" on the new citizenship law, it said in sarcastic comments.

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News Network
July 20,2020

New Delhi, Jul 20: India's COVID-19 case tally crossed the 11 lakh mark with the highest single-day spike of 40,425 new cases and 681 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, informed the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Monday.

Total cases in the country now stand at 11,18,043 while the death toll is 27,497.
The Health Ministry said the total number of cases includes 3,90,459 active cases and 7,00,087 patients have been cured/discharged/migrated.

Maharashtra remains the worst affected state with 3,10,455 cases reported until Sunday.
Meanwhile, as per the information provided by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 1,40,47,908 samples have been tested for COVID-19 till July 19, of these 2,56,039 samples were tested yesterday.

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News Network
March 27,2020

Mumbai, Mar 27: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Friday said that Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has taken note of the global economic activity coming to a near standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic and added that large parts of the world could slip into recession in the coming days to the coronavirus crisis.
"The MPC noted that global economic activity has come to a near stand-still as COVID-19 related lockdowns and social distancing are imposed across a widening swath of affected countries. Expectations of a shallow recovery in 2020, from 2019's decade low in global growth, have been dashed," Das said.
"The outlook is now heavily contingent upon the intensity, spread and duration of the pandemic. There is a rising probability that large parts of the world will slip into recession," he added.
The RBI Governor further added that "the implied GDP growth of 4.7 per cent in Quarter 4 of 2019-20, in the second advance estimates of the National Statistics Office which was released in February 2020, within the annual estimate of 5 per cent for the year as a whole is now at risk."
As per the outlook for the year 2020-21, Das said, "Apart from continuing resilience of agriculture and allied activities most other sectors of the economy will be adversely impacted by the pandemic depending upon, its intensity, spread and duration."
Das also announced a reduction in the repo and reverse repo rates for banks.
"The repo rate has been reduced by 75 basis points to 4.4 per cent. The reserve repo rate has been reduced by 90 basis points to 4 per cent," Das said addressing the media.
The decision for "a sizeable reduction" in the policy repo rate, according to the RBI Governor was taken to "revive growth and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and ensure financial stability." 

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