From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Even as the ULFA hardliners have threatened to strike terror in Assam, the pro-talks faction of the outfit led by its chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa has come down heavily on hardliners leader Paresh Barua, the ‘commander-in-chief’ for trying to belittle the on-going peace talks between Government of India and the ULFA (Rajkhowa faction).
The ULFA doves reacted sharply to Paresh Barua’s statement that termed the on-going peace process between some leaders of the ULFA, who were arrested and released on bail, and the Government of India a futile exercise and dared Barua to come back to Assam and lead the revolution from within.
Barua who is now suspected to be taking shelter in northern Myanmar, said that ULFA leaders like Arabinda Rajkhowa would not be able to show enough guts to raise the demand for ‘sovereignty of Assam’ during the negotiation with the ‘colonial’ Government of India. He vowed to continue armed revolution for attaining ‘sovereignty’ for indigenous people of Assam ‘till the last drop of his blood.’
In reaction the pro-talks faction in a statement e-mailed to the media, described Paresh Barua as a ‘commander of medieval era with outdated notions’. The faction stated that Paresh Barua’s concept of ‘sovereign Assam’ was farfetched in the context of today’s ground realities in Assam where different ethnic groups are agitating for statehood to determine their own future.
“It is very easy to continue revolutions by issuing statements from a safe distance. People of Assam would like to know when Paresh Barua will gather courage to lead the revolution from within his motherland (Assam). It is nothing but cowardice on part of Paresh Barua to try establishing himself as a revolutionary leader only by issuing statements from a faraway place and by fomenting mindless violence that is against the principles and goals of the ULFA,” the statement said.
The pro-talks faction stated that it had come forward for dialogue with the government after gauging the mood of the people for whom peace and prosperity is the sole priority. It also said that it had endeavoured for a negotiated peaceful settlement to the conflict as per the constitution of the ULFA.
“The reality in Assam today is that various ethnic groups who are agitating to establish their rights, will not support Paresh Barua’s arned revolution for restoration of svereignty of Assam,” the pro-talks faction said.