Guwahati, Dec 20 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the present council of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), headed by the BJP-United Peoples' Party Liberal (UPPL) combine, has ushered in peace and development in the region during the last three years.

There has not been a single case of blasts, firing or communal tension in the four districts of the BTR during the rule of the present BJP-UPPL-led council headed by Pramod Boro, the chief minister said while addressing a meeting to observe the third anniversary of the council at Bijni.

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'Violence and insurgency is now a thing of the past in BTR and a new age of peace and progress has dawned which has been possible due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the BJP government in the state and the present council leadership', Sarma said.

The Bodo Accord was signed due to the initiative of the prime minister and the home minister and 'we are making all out efforts to fulfil all the clauses of the agreement', he said.

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"We need peace for development and during the last three years, the council with the help of the central and state governments has been working for the development of the region', he said.

The major success of the present council is that it has succeeded in bringing peace and 'if we can maintain this peace for another five years, then I can guarantee that BTR will emerge as a major developed region of the country', the chief minister said.

'We usually talk about BJP's double engine government in the state and the Centre but in BTR, it is a triple engine government with BJP-UPPL in Kokrajhar," he said.

The chief minister alleged that the previous council had indulged in large-scale financial malpractices and considerably weakened the economy as it left behind a Rs 3,000-crore debt but the present dispensation has reduced it to Rs 1,200 crore.

Earlier, the chief minister had inaugurated the newly constructed Bathou Traditional and Cultural Centre built at a cost of Rs 5 crore and funded by the BTR administration at Bagansali in Kokrajhar.

Speaking on the occasion, Sarma said Bathou worship is one of the most ancient forms of indigenous beliefs in the state and has enriched Assam's cultural and spiritual environment for thousands of years. He said his government is committed to preserving the cultural identities of the indigenous communities of the state.

The chief minister also addressed a Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra rally at Habrubari in Kokrajhar and urged the eligible beneficiaries to make best use of on the spot registration process for inclusion so that they don't remain deprived of social sector schemes meant for them.

Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Ashok Singhal and BTR chief executive member Pramod Boro accompanied the CM during his day-long visit to Kokrajhar.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)