New Delhi, Nov. 16: Inaugurating the first Bodoland Mahotsav in the national capital on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the people of the Bodo community for shunning violence and taking up the path of peace after the historic Peace Accord of 2020.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the first Bodoland Mahotsav in New Delhi on Friday, the Prime Minister said that the signing of the Bodo Peace Accord has brought a “new wave of growth” into the region, and the Centre is making steady efforts for bringing lasting peace into the Northeast.

After witnessing long years of violence with many generations getting consumed in the bloodshed, the Bodo community is celebrating a festival after so many decades, Modi said.

"You have scripted new history," the Prime Minister told the large gathering of people from the Bodo community at the event.

Photo: Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, with Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Pramod Boro, on Friday (Source: X/ Narendra Modi)

The Prime Minister stated that the sun of vikas (development) will rise from the east and lend new energy to the Viksit Bharat resolve, and added that the Bodo Peace Accord has not only benefitted the Bodo community but has also opened new avenues for many other settlements in the Northeast region.

A strong foundation for a bright future has been laid for the Bodo community, the Prime Minister shared, addressing the gathering at the SAI Indira Gandhi Sports Complex; adding that his mind experiences satisfaction after witnessing the impact of growth on Bodoland.

In early 2020, a Memorandum of Settlement (MOS) was signed with factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), All Bodo Students' Union, etc., seeking to increase the scope and power of the Bodoland Territorial Council and to streamline its functioning; resolve issues related to Bodo people residing outside the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD); and to promote and protect the Bodo community's social, cultural, linguistic and ethnic identities.

"You have taken it (accord) from the paper to the ground level, illuminating the entire Northeast with the light of peace," Modi said, while hailing the Bodo Peace Accord.

The Prime Minister stated that the forests in Assam, which once served as “hideouts” are now becoming a medium to fulfil the “high ambitions” of the youth.

The Prime Minister said that hands that earlier wielded guns are now excelling in sports in Bodoland. "There was a time when the thick forests of Manas National Park and Raimona National Park became a space for other activities. I am happy that the forests which earlier served as hideouts are now becoming a medium to fulfil the high ambitions of the youth," Modi said.

The Prime Minister was also treated to a folk dance performed by a large number of artistes at the event.

- With inputs from the PTI