Bid to save talks with Bodo rebels

The government has launched an exercise to save the ongoing initiative to start peace-talks with anti-talks faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) from collapsing after a split in the outfit. Admitting that split in the NDFB (Ranjan Daimary) faction had dealt a blow to the government’s plan, authoritative security sources told this newspaper that NDFB chairman Ranjan Daimary has succeeded in roping in top NDFB leader B. Bidai who deserted him to join the breakaway faction of the outfit lead by I.K. Songbijit. The self-style military commander of NDFB armed wing Songbijit had engineered a split in the outfit recently and declared a new committee, headed by him as new chairman. Informing that self-style commanders of NDFB whom Songbijit had included in his new committee have clarified to Mr Daimary, security sources said that most of them are now claiming that they were mislead by their military commander I.K. Songbijit. Pointing out that Karbi origin of I.K. Songbijit was used to influence the field commanders who had deserted Daimary, security sources said that state government had already decided to release Mr Daimary from judicial custody to start peace talks with dreaded militant outfit. Asserting that attempts are on to persuade I.K. Songbijit as well, security sources however said that the military commander of the outfit was also under pressure in Burma either to distance from peace-talks with the government or vacate the hideouts in Burma. More than 250 armed NDFB cadres are holed up in Burma and sharing hideouts with NSCN(K). In 2011, Mr Daimary expressed his willingness to join the peace process and since then the Centre’s interlocutor, PC Haldar, has held at least seven rounds of informal talks with him inside Guwahati jail where he is currently lodged. Regretting that split in NDFB has created confusion among the armed cadres, security sources indicated that government was preparing to release Mr Daimary to facilitate him with an opportunity to avoid further split of the outfit. Though, security sources did not rule out the possibility of Mr Daimary emerging as a power centre in Bodoland Territorial Council after his release, which may give, rise to new rivalry between ruling Bodoland Peoples Front and NDFB.