Title - Statehood seekers plan blockades to cut off NE

GUWAHATI: Putting pressure on the Centre to fix the dates for dialogues as early as possible, ethnic groups seeking separate states on Wednesday announced fresh agitation programmes like rail roko and road blockade that threaten to cut off the entire northeastern region from the rest of the country from August 16.While National Democratic Front of Boroland (Progressive), with the support of the All Bodo Students' Union (Absu), has called a 100-hour national highway blockade from August 16, the All Koch-Rajbongshi Students' Union (AKRSU), which is leading the demand for separate state of Kamatapur, has called a 12-hour rail blockade the same day.AKRSU has given its next call for another 12-hour national and state highway blockade on August 18.After them, All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU), which is spearheading the demand for Bodoland, has called a 24-hour national highway blockade on August 28 and 24-hour rail blockade on September 10. The Karbi-Dimasa group has so far not made any announcement.

Koch-Rajbongshi and Bodo groups will concentrate their blockades in lower Assam areas of Bongaigaon and Kokrajhar districts, which serve as the gateways to the state as well as the region.

Union finance minister P Chidambaram, who has been asked to deal with the state by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in absence of home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, on Tuesday agreed to Gogoi's proposal for dialogue with these groups but did not announce any dates. Gogoi said it is wrong to give deadlines as the government needs time to finalize dates for meetings on such important issues.

Koch-Rajbongshis, Bodos, Karbis and Dimasas had put on hold their agitation temporarily after Gogoi offered to facilitate tripartite talks with the Centre. Each group had given Gogoi separate deadlines to fix the dates for tripartite talks. "In our meeting with the chief minister on August 7, he had agreed to fix the tripartite talks with Centre. But even after a week, we have not been invited for dialogue with the Centre. We cannot wait for long and if the government invitation comes, we will withdraw our agitation temporarily," said AKRSU president Biswajit Ray.

Echoing the same words, Absu president Pramod Boro said, "All Bodo Students' Union during the last meeting with chief minister on August 7 had demanded tripartite talks on or before August 13. The chief minister himself gave his word but we have not received any dates."

Besides, Absu is organizing a mass gathering on August 20 in Kokrajhar and a hunger strike on August 22. Boro said as a protest against Gogoi's failure, Absu has extended its support to the 100-hour national highway bandh by NDFB(P)from August 16. "Absu is still hopeful that the Centre and the state government will immediately initiate dialogue for a permanent solution of the Bodoland state demand," said Boro.