ULFA Turns Down Govt Offer for Peace Talks
The banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) has turned down Union Home Minister P Chidambaram’s offer for peace talks echoing their Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa’s stand ‘no peace talks with ULFA leaders in jail’, said media reports.
“The ULFA leaders cannot sit for peace talks from jail with handcuffs”, jailed ULFA ideologue Bhimkanta Buragohain was quoted as saying while talking to reporters in Tezpur where he was produced before a fast track court.
Buragohain, whose real name is Bishnujyoti Buragohain, and is addressed as ‘Mama’ by ULFA cadres, said that the jailed leaders had to be set free so that they could hold meetings of ULFA’s highest committee to decide on peace talks, said reports.
Moreover, he blamed Chidambaram for not perceiving the sentiments of the local people, said report.
“Chidambaram is not sensitive to the sentiments of the people here. He is not fully aware about Assam’s situation, including its economic problems and geographical set up,” he was quoted as saying.
He also accused some intellectuals of the state of acting as ‘brokers of the government for negotiating talks between ULFA and government for their own interest’, said reports.
He dismissed the claim of arrested surrendered ULFA (SULFA) cadre Kamal Nath’s claim last week at the Tezpur Sessions Judge Court that 11 ULFA leaders, handed over to the Indian army during Operation All Clear in Bhutan against ULFA in 2003, were killed in Shillong, said reports.
He suspected that the 11 were still in the custody of army as they along with him and six others were together till they were handed over to Indian Army on December 25 that year by the Royal Bhutan Army, said reports.
Meanwhile, jailed ULFA publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary, who was being taken to the Regional Dental Hospital at Guwahati for medical care told reporters, “No letter will be sent from jail to the Centre offering ULFA’s willingness for talks. If we are set free, we will talk. No talks with handcuffs.”
On Tuesday, ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa said his outfit can not think of talks when the leaders were inside jail and not free.
“We cannot think of negotiations from inside the jail and we will not give any letter to the government for holding talks,” Rajkhowa told a private news channel at the dental hospital where he was brought for treatment.
