In what has become a customary in Assam, seven militant groups of Northeastern states including the outlawed Ulfa and National Democratic Front of Bodoland hardliners have jointly given a call to boycott the Independence Day celebrations in the region. The Ulfa has also called for Assam bandh on August 15.
The boycott call, which has been given by the militant outfits of Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura, had surprise support of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), which was engaged in peace-talks with the government. This has come close on the heels of outfit’s declaration a day before to withdraw from year long unilateral cease-fire.
The other militant outfits, which have signed the boycott call, included the coordination committee of militant groups of Manipur, HNLC, KLO, NLFT and Tripura People’s Democratic Front.
In the statement the outfits have called for a general strike from 1 am to 5.30 pm on the Independence Day on the Western part of South East Asia.
The joint statement said that essential services, media, religious activities etc have been exempted from the purview of the general strike.
The statement said that the Independence Day was imposed on the people of the Northeastern states.
“India was never a country till 1947 when the British rulers left. After the British left, the loosely administered sub-continent was polarised into two nations – India and Pakistan,” the joint statement argued claiming that Northeastearn states were forcefully included into India with an imperialist agenda.
After the British left, the Brown sahibs became the new colonial masters of the Northeast and imposed acts like the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act to oppress the people of the region, the statement said.