From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: As the people of Assam are celebrating Rongali Bihu (Spring Festival) with pomp and gaiety Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has taken the opportunity to make a renewed appeal to the armed insurgents groups still remaining at large to come forward for dialogue with the government to resolve their problem for the sake of restoration of peace and overall development of the state.
Gogoi’s call is basically targeted at the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and other militants groups still at large to give up arms and come over for talks to resolve their problem.
He said on the occasion of Rongali Bihu the people of Assam were aspiring for an atmosphere of peace, overall development and prosperity.
“Those militants who are still holding to their guns should respect the wishes of the people and come over for dialogue by giving up arms,” Gogoi said.
The anti-talks faction of the ULFA led by fugitive ‘commander-in-chief’ Paresh Barua, has remained elusive despite all the efforts by the government to bring the faction to the negotiation. The ULFA faction is trying hard to regroup after setting up a fresh base in Myanmar in coordination with other insurgent groups like the NSCN-K.
Though one faction of the ULFA comprising all the senior leaders and led by its chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa have entered into a truce and has been holding dialogue with the Government of India, the government well understands that a permanent solution to the problem will not be possible sans Paresh Barua’s participation in the dialogue process.
Paresh Barua has continued to insist that the pre-condition that any dialogue with the government of India must revolve around the outfit’s ‘demand for sovereignty of Assam’.
Indian security agencies believe that there was remote possibility of Paresh Barua coming over for dialogue as he was hand in glove with Pakistani ISI.