Guwahati, Dec 15 (IANS) The outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), blamed for the recent serial bombings in Assam, Monday split with the outfit replacing its Bangladesh-based chairman Ranjan Daimary with a new leader, besides announcing that the group would contest next year’s parliamentary elections.
“We held our general assembly meeting and decided to replace Ranjan Daimary as chairman of the NDFB and unanimously selected Dhiren Boro as the new chairman,” S. Sanjarang, publicity chief of the NDFB, told journalists.
“We invited Daimary to attend the meeting, but he failed to turn up and so we decided to have a new general body of the outfit by appointing Boro as the chairman.”
The NDFB held its general assembly meeting Monday at one of its camps at Kumguri in western Kokrajhar district, about 250 km from here.
The NDFB, fighting for an independent homeland for the Bodo tribe, is operating a ceasefire with New Delhi since 2005.
“We have also decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections either directly or indirectly,” the NDFB leader said.
The Assam government earlier blamed the NDFB for the Oct 30 serial bombings and has since arrested about 25 militants.
“How can the entire NDFB be responsible for the acts of a few individuals? We are in a ceasefire and are not involved in any violence,” Sanjarang said.
“We want the ceasefire to continue and want a solution to the Bodo problem,” Sanjarang said.