PM Narendra Modi to visit Assam to celebrate signing of Bodo Agreement

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Kokrajhar in Assam on Friday to participate in an event to celebrate the signing of the Bodo Agreement.

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office said Modi will address a gathering there to "hail the historic Bodo Agreement" signed on January 27.

This will be the prime minister's first visit to the north-east since it witnessed several anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in which three people were killed.

More than 4,00,000 people from the Bodo Autonomous Tribal Districts and other areas of the state are expected to attend the programme.

A cultural programme of ethnic groups of Assam is being organised to showcase the diversity of the state, the statement said.

In a recent tweet, the prime minister had termed the day the accord was signed "a very special day for India" and said that it "will lead to a transformative results for Bodo people, ushering in a new dawn of peace, harmony and togetherness".

The agreement is in accordance with the prime minister's vision of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas and is a commitment towards a holistic development of the north-east, the statement said.

Over 1,615 cadres of different factions of the NDFB surrendered their arms and joined the mainstream within two days of the signing of the agreement.

In his latest 'Mann ki Baat' radio address, the prime minister had appealed to all those on the path of violence to return to the mainstream and lay down their arms.

A summit meeting between Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, scheduled to be held in Guwahati in December, was also cancelled due to the anti-CAA protests.

Modi was also invited for the inauguration of the recently-concluded 'Khelo India' games in Guwahati but he did not attend it.