Demand for creation of Bodoland gains momentum

Political leaders and activists welcomed the move by the government to constitute an expert committee to examine the demand for a separate Bodoland state from Assam; days after the Parliament passed the Telangana Bill.

The one-man expert committee will submit its report in nine months after consulting every section of the society on the creation and validity of Bodoland.

G.K. Pillai, a former home ministry secretary would be at the helm of affairs.

The move was welcomed by the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief, Hagrama Mohilary who said a similar process was followed in the creation of Telangana state.

"Our idea of a separate Bodoland state is moving towards its final destination, in a manner similar to the way Telangana was created. We had demanded a separate state like Telangana, and for that, today the government created an experts committee to look into the demands which we consider as a welcome move," said Mohilary.

One immediate consequence of the creation of Telangana is that it has renewed demands from other parts of the country for separate states, including Assam, Darjeeling and Uttar Pradesh.