From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: All the top leaders of the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) faction led by ‘chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa left for New Delhi on Thursday afternoon with their ‘charter of demands’ to hold the first formal round of talks with the Government of India
“We are going to submit our charter of demands to the government during the talks and we are positive something concrete would emerge during the negotiation process. We expect the first round of formal talks to focus on preparing modalities for dialogue,” the Central publicity secretary of the outfit Mithinga Daimary informed.
The government side is expected to be represented in the talks by union Home Secretary R.K. Singh, Centre’s chief peace interlocutor P.C. Haldar, and senior home ministry officials. The dialogue process will be started with presentation of the charter of demands by the ULFA leaders to the home minister P Chidambaram on Friday.
The ULFA which one of the biggest rebel outfits in Assam, launched armed ‘revolution’ in April 1979 for ‘restoration of sovereignty of Assam. However, the demand for sovereignty is no longer among the demands of the outfit to be presented before the Centre.
The absence of the commander-in-chief of the outfit Paresh Barua in the peace process has been a hiccup in the peace process which enjoys support of an overwhelming majority of senior leaders of the outfits and most of its armed battalions.
Pareh Baruah, reported to be hiding in the Myanmar-China border area along with his loyal cadres, stated an e-mail statement: “We cannot support peace talks as the ULFA leadership led by Rajkhowa is under the influence of our enemy (government)” thereby clearing referring to the status of the pro-talks leaders who are out of jail on bail.
Apart from Arabinda Rajkhowa, the other ULFA leaders who have left for New Delhi to take part in dialogue include ‘ vice chairman’ Pradeep Gogoi, ‘deputy commander-in-chief’ Raju Baruah, ‘foreign secretary’ Sasha Choudhury, finance secretary ‘Chitraban Hazarika’, ‘cultural secretary’ Pranati Deka and political ideologue Bhimkanta Buragohain.
Meanwhile, the All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union (AAGSU), apex body of Gorkha youths and students of Assam, on Thursday urged the pro-talk ULFA leaders to negotiate the best in lieu of sovereignty.
“Being a part of the Sanmillata Jatiya Parishad, AAGSU have always been in favour of ULFA and Government of India talks to resolve all the issues raised by the ULFA and organization supporting the peace process, ” the AAGSU said in a statement on the eve of a meeting between ULFA and the Home Ministry officials in New Delhi.
”The 30-year-old demand for sovereignty raised by ULFA must be respected and ULFA must be accorded with the best possible negotiation deal in the dialogue process. (Agencies)
We appeal to the ULFA leadership to negotiate the best in lieu of the sovereignty and wish them best of luck, ” it added.
Referring to AAGSU-ULFA leadership talks earlier, the AAGSU said total regional autonomy with a lower and upper house in place of Bidhan Sabha (state Assembly) with a new set-up was one of suggestions conceptualised and supported by AAGSU in the meeting.
” AAGSU has reposed its faith in the largest parliamentary democratic nation of the world that it would take all necessary step to usher peace in trouble torn region respecting the separatists’ feelings and emotion that lead to the birth of an armed organisation like ULFA some 30 years back, ” the statement added.