Assam MP vouch to oppose separate Bodoland demand

Assam MP affirmed that he will oppose the separate Bodoland demand and also fight for the land rights of non-tribals in Kokrajhar and other tribal areas.

New Delhi:The second time MP from Assam's Kokrajhar Lok Sabha seat, Naba Sarania, on Tuesday has vouched that he will oppose the separate Bodoland demand.

"I will oppose the separate Bodoland demand," said Sarania while talking to ETV Bharat.

He said that he will fight for the land rights of non-tribals in Kokrajhar and other tribal areas.

Tribal students organisation, different militant groups (in ceasefire) are in talks with the government in support of a separate Bodoland state.

Sarania further said security, as well as road connectivity, are two major issues in the state.

"In fact, I don't have road connectivity to my home town from Tamulpur to Musolpur...I will fight for land rights of the people of the state as well," said Sarania who took oath as an MP in Assamese on Monday.

Illegal arms is another important issue that Sarania has emphasised. Quite often, security agencies recover illegal arms from Kokrajhar and other adjacent areas.

"After I became MP, more than 100 illegal arms were seized by the security forces...all these should be captured," he said.

Kokrajhar is a Lok Sabha constituency reserved for Schedule Tribe candidates.

Naba Sarania being an independent candidate, he defeated his rival Pramila Rani Brahma, a tribal, by around 39,000 votes in the just-concluded Lok Sabha election.

In 2014, Naba Sarania a former militant leader defeated another independent candidate Urkhai Gwara Brahma by a margin of more than 3 lakhs vote.