From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: The much-awaited first round of formal talks between the Union Government and the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) faction led by its ‘chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa is all set to be held next week as a delegation of the outfit armed with the ‘charter of demands’ is going to New Delhi to meet Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on August 10 next.
The outfit has finalsed its “charter of demands” for submission before the Cetral government.
The demands will form the basisis of future talks with the outfit. The Union Home Ministry sent a formal invitation to ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa for talks last week.
The ULFA central executive meeting and delegates’ session, which was held at the designated camp of its 709 Battalion at Moiradanga village in Nalbari district, has decided to send its delegation to New Delhi with the charter of demands’. The meeting was attended by over 100 members of the outfit from all over the state. ‘Chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa presided over it, the meeting that was attended by all the top leaders.
The outfit has so far kept its charter of demands a secret. “Our charter of demands has been finalized in a joint meeting of the central executive committee and a special delegates’ session held in Nalbari on Sunday. But we have decided not to make it public till we place it before the government of India,” Mithinga Daimary, central publicity secretary of the outfit said.
It is learnt that the ULFA faction has already dropped its demand for a “sovereign state” to facilitate dialogue with the government and is all set to raise demand more autonomy including J&K-type special Constitutional status for Assam.
“The charter of demands has been by and large prepared on the basis of the draft recommendations prepared by the Sanmilita Jatiya Abhibartan (SJA) held last year,” Daimary said.
