From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: The anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) has called for 12-hour Assam bandh on May 26 next to register protest against visit of the UPA chairman and Congress President Sonia Gandhi to Guwahati on that day to take part in Tarun Gogoi government’s anniversary celebrations.
The ULFA bandh call came at a time when the Congress government in Assam led by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is awaiting to welcome Sonia Gandhi who has been invited to grace the first anniversary of Gogoi government’s third successive term here.
Assam government is planning a mega event to showcase the achievement of Congress government in Assam before Sonia Gandhi on the occasion of the anniversary day celebrations to be held at the sprawling Sarusajai National Games Stadium at the outskirt of Guwahati city. The Congress has been ruling Assam since 2001 without a break after getting successive mandate from the people in three Assembly elections held in 2001, 2006 and 2011.
In a statement e-mailed to the media here, the ULFA (anti-talks) faction has called for 12-hour Assam bandh from 6 A.M. of May 26 to protest the visit of Sonia Gandhi, the ‘the ruling Congress president and super member of India Parliament’.
The ULFA stated that it has called for the bandh to protest against “continued colonial occupation of India in Assam, government of India’s bid to set up nuclear war heads in Assam, for converting Assam to a thriving ground of illegal migrants from Bangladesh, efforts to set up National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and setting up of big hydropower projects in collusion with big industry houses to exploit the water resources of the State”.
The ULFA faction had called for similar bandh on April 20 this year and played the spoilsport when the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had come to Guwahati to inaugurate the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Assam Legislative Assembly (ALA). That day the ULFA bandh shut down the entire Brahmaputra Valley including Guwahati city while the PM was around.