In a major breakthrough on the insurgency front, the anti-talks faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) has expressed its willingness to engage in the peace process in Assam.
Disclosing that the Bodo National Conference — a conglomeration of front-line Bodo political and social organisation, — has taken the initiative to bring the NDFB to the negotiation table, the chief convenor of the conglomerate, Kampa Borgoyar told this newspaper that they had a meeting with Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday and urged him to follow the policy that his government adopted for starting peace-talks with the pro-talks faction of Ulfa led by its chairman Arbinda Rajkhowa.
He said, “We have informed the chief minister that the civil society group of the Bodo community is capable of mounting pressure on anti-talks NDFB rebels to desist from indulging in violence but to do so they need the support of the government.” He said that the BNC also requested the chief minister to release NDFB chief Ranjan Daimary from jail.
Former militant leader and now deputy-chief of Bodoland Territorial Council Borgoyar said, “The BNC leaders are also going to meet NDFB chief Ranjan Daimary in jail to persuade him to extend the unilateral ceasefire which lapsed on June 30 to facilitate an opportunity to start the peace talks.” Borgoyar added that they have asked the government to expedite the ongoing talks with the pro-talks faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland.
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Dabur’s Burman dies in UK
New Delhi, July 9: Ashok C. Burman, chairman-emeritus of the 125-year-old Dabur Group, died in London Saturday noon. He was 81. According to family members, his body will be brought here for the last rites. His wife Sudha died two years ago and he is survived by his son Anand, who serves as the chairman of the group. Born in Kolkata June 19, 1930, Burman joined Dabur in 1948 as a third generation member of the group and was named director two years later.
In 1985, he became chairman — a post he relinquished in 1998. Burman is credited with turning a family-owned enterprise, which started from the bylanes of Kolkata, into a professionally-run group. He ensured that his family’s representation on the group companies’ board was successively scaled down over the years. Among the group companies, $900-million Dabur India is a leading enterprise in the fast moving consumer goods space with a presence in 60 countries and ranks among the largest Ayurvedic and natural healthcare companies in the world. Some of its better known brands include Odonil, Vatika, Hajmola, Promise, Lemoneez, Pudin Hara, Real juices, Glucose-D, Hommade and Babool. Besides Dabur, Burman was also on the boards of Gannon Dunkely and Co, Polyplex Corporation, Satnam Overseas, Himal Laboratories and Filatex India.
—IANS