Guwahati, April 27: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said discussions with the pro-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) were underway and that he was hopeful that a peace agreement would be signed with the faction by the end of next month.
Speaking to mediapersons in New Delhi on Thursday, Sarma said the pro-talks ULFA faction had in the meantime been given a draft peace agreement in this regard by the government with the anticipation that a peace pact would be eventually inked on its basis by May-end.
“However, if the draft is unacceptable to them (pro-talks ULFA faction) then the process might have to be deferred,” the chief minister said.
It may be recalled that the pro-talks faction of ULFA had in January last year expressed reservations about the Centre’s earnestness in taking forward the peace parleys with the faction, claiming that there was no dialogue held in the past two years and there was no government interlocutor to take the process forward.
“In regard to the discussions with the Paresh Barua-led ULFA-I (Independent) faction, while there has been communication between the government and the militant outfit from time to time in various phases, the process to facilitate the peace talks with the group is yet to gain the desired pace and impetus,” Sarma said.
Reacting on the development, ULFA pro-talks general secretary Anup Chetia lauded the chief minister’s initiative, while acknowledging receipt of the draft of the peace agreement before Rongali Bihu.
“We have gone through the draft but the matter has to be discussed thoroughly with the central executive committee members as well as our senior leaders in the general council. There might be few inclusions and exclusions, but we are hopeful that the Government of India would fulfill our demands such as the protection of constitutional, political and land rights of the indigenous people of Assam,” Chetia said.