Ahead of the union government's all-party meeting Dec 28 to discuss Telangana, a powerful Bodos union in Assam Friday said they would not "tolerate" any isolated decision on the statehood issue.
The All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) asked the government to take an "inclusive decision" to consider demands of other statehood committees too and threatened to agitate if the demand for a separate state for Bodos was not considered along with Telangana.
"Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde has convened an important meeting to discuss Telangana. However, Shinde is not the home minister of Andhra Pradesh but of the entire country. So, we appeal to him to consider the issue of statehood demand of Bodos too. If Telangana can be considered for a separate state, why can't Bodos of Assam get a separate state to secure their identity," union president Promod Boro said at a massive rally in Rowta in Udalguri district.
The rally commemorated 25 years of the demand for a separate state for Bodos.
The union also appealed to the government to form a state reorganisation commission.
ABSU's decision comes at a time when a conglomeration of 52 Bodo and non-Bodo organisations of the Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts under the banner of Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement have threatened to launch an economic blockade of the northeastern region from Jan 1 if the government failed to take a decision for a separate state for Bodos.