PM Modi arrives in Guwahati ahead of Kokrajhar rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday arrived in Guwahati ahead of his visit to Kokrajhar where he will address the public at an event, to celebrate the signing of the Bodo Agreement.

Prime Minister Modi was welcomed by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Governor Prof. Jagdish Mukhi among others.

Large numbers of locals have gathered at the rally ground, in Bodo-dominated Kokrajhar town of Assam.

In a tweet yesterday, Modi had said that the accord marks the start of "a new era of peace and progress".

This will be the first visit of Prime Minister Modi since the state has been witnessing anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests.

The visit comes days after the state government signed a tripartite agreement with representatives of all factions of the banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi.

The signing of the Bodo agreement led to the surrender of over 1,500 militants of the major insurgent group NDFB.

The Bodo groups have been demanding a separate state of Bodoland for the last 50 years. The movement has resulted in extensive violence and loss of hundreds of lives over the years.