Organisations in Assam agitating for the cause of a separate Bodoland on Tuesday praised the Centre’s move to remove the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcate it into Union Territories, Northeast Now reported.

The All Bodo Students’ Union, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (P) and the People’s Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement held a massive rally at Kashikotra in western Assam’s Chirang district on Tuesday, demanding a separate Bodoland state. The rally was addressed by the presidents of the three organisations.

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“The Bodoland-movement organisations believe that the manner in which the Union ministry of law and justice has issued the notification invoking powers under Article 370 of the Constitution, indicates that the Centre has a political will that surmounts all obstacles to its aim and vision,” a joint statement by the organisations said, according to The Telegraph. “We call upon the government to exercise the same political will and urgency in dealing with the statehood demand like Bodoland.”

The groups said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had promised to fulfill their demand during the 2014 General Election campaign. “It is also well known fact that the party is in favour of creation of small states as per its Bhubaneswar Convention of 1996,” All Bodo Students Union President Pramod Boro said.

Boro said the Centre had fulfilled the demand for Telangana state and for the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir. “If so, then why the Bodoland demand, which has been raised since 1967, cannot be fulfilled by the government?” he asked.

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National Democratic Front of Bodoland (P) President Gobinda Chandra Basumatary said no government can deprive the Bodos of their rights.

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