Bodo accord has heralded new dawn of peace in Assam: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that it was because of people's support that the Bodo peace accord was signed, heralding a new dawn of peace in Assam.

Addressing a massive public rally to celebrate the signing of the accord on January 27 that is expected to bring lasting peace to the troubled state, Modi said now the time was to work together for peace and development of the NorthEast.

"We will not allow violence to return," he asserted.

The prime minister also appealed to extremists in the Northeast, militants in Jammu and Kashmir and the Maoists to "take inspiration from Bodo insurgents and return to the mainstream".

He also sought to assuage the concerns of people of the region over implementation of the new citizenship law.

"Canard is being spread that lakhs of settlers will come from other countries after the enactment of CAA. Nothing of that sort will happen," he said.

He said that the Bodo accords signed in 1993 and 2003 could not bring permanent peace in the Bodo-dominated areas of Assam.

"The recent Bodo accord is a victory for all communities and sections of society. There are no losers.

After signing this agreement, there is no demand left," the prime minister said.

The government had on January 27 signed an accord with all the factions of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), one of the dreaded insurgent groups of Assam, the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) and the United Bodo People's Organisation (UBPO), providing political and economic bonanza but not a separate state or union territory.

He asserted that the Centre will work expeditiously to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord once the high-powered committee submits its report.

The clause envisaged that constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.

He said that earlier nobody addressed the issues faced by the people of the North-East and allowed disturbances to continue.

"This approach alienated people of the region from the Centre and they lost faith in Indian democracy and Constitution. The North-East was once considered a recipient state but now it is a growth engine," he said.

The prime minister said that the combined central allocation to the eight states of the region went up to a staggering Rs 3 lakh crore under the 14th Finance Commission, after his government was formed, from Rs 90,000 crore under the 13th Finance Commission.

He said that the North-East was under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, for a long time but now Tripura and many parts of other states are free from it.