From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: The Director General of Police (DGP), Assam Jayanta Narayan Choudhury on Monday said that a section of the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) leaders were still “under illusion that establishing a ‘sovereign Assam’ was possible because of their ‘misconception’ about the colonial occupation of Indian State of Assam.”
He said this in reference to the recent media statement of the ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Barua that though he was not averse to talking to the Government of India, there was no point going ahead with the same unless the issue of sovereignty of Assam was not discussed.
Addressing a select gathering here in a function to release a book titled, ‘Confronting the State ULFA’s Quest for Sovereignty’, the DGP said there was lack of trust between the ULFA leadership and the Indian State in respect to holding dialogue. “A section of the ULFA leaders believe that the ongoing talks between the government and a section of ULFA was a ploy by the Government of India to wear those leaders down by engaging them in fruitless talks,” the DGP said.
He said thousands of people had died since the armed struggle was launched by the ULFA over 30 years ago. “So many young boys and girls have been sucked into this storm of violence. This has to end,” Choudhury added.
Speaking in the same function, noted scholar, social scientist and columnist, Dr Udayan Misra too sounded very critical about the ULFA’s demand for a ‘sovereign Assam’.
He said it was not at all realistic and hardly achievable in the present global context when the definition and concept of sovereignty has changed contrary to the ULFA concept of sovereignty as believed and preached by its leadership.