Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday praised the people of the Bodo community for renouncing violence and adopting the path of peace after the historic peace agreement of 2020. He said that after the signing of the agreement, a new wave of development has been witnessed in the region and the government is making continuous efforts to bring lasting peace in the North-East.
Results can never be achieved with bombs and guns
Addressing the inaugural program of the two-day first Bodoland Mahotsav at the Sai Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, Modi said that the forests of Assam which once served as a place of hiding, are today becoming a medium to fulfill the high ambitions of the youth. The hands that used to wield guns are now excelling in sports in Bodoland. Results can never be achieved with bombs and guns, the Bodo community has shown this path. Those who are following the path of Naxalism should learn something from Bodo friends.
PM Modi said, ‘Not only you have benefited from the peace agreement, it has opened new avenues for many more peace agreements. If it were just on paper, other people wouldn’t trust me. But you assimilated this compromise in your life. You have created a new history.
In Assam itself, more than 10 thousand youth laid down their arms and returned to the mainstream.
The Prime Minister said that he feels extremely satisfied to see the positive and encouraging results of the peace agreement. The government is trying to find a unanimous solution to the border disputes between various states of the North-East. The sun of development will rise from the east and will provide new energy to the resolve of a developed India.
He said that because of the agreement, in Assam alone, more than 10 thousand youth have laid down their arms and returned to the mainstream and it was beyond the imagination of the people that the Karbi Anglong Agreement, Bru-Reang Agreement and NLFT-Tripura Agreement would someday become a reality.
PM Modi also watched traditional Bodo dance performance
The Prime Minister tried his hand at the Sarinda, the musical instrument of the Bodo community, and also watched a traditional Bodo dance performance at the festival. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma participated in the program virtually. It is noteworthy that Bodos are one of the tribal communities living in Assam for thousands of years and they are the largest tribal community in the state.