532 ULFA cadre lay down arms

SIVASAGAR, APRIL 5: The authorities in Assam on Wednesday launched an assault on the outlawed ULFA by organising a massive surrender cerem...

SIVASAGAR, APRIL 5: The authorities in Assam on Wednesday launched an assault on the outlawed ULFA by organising a massive surrender ceremony on the premises of the historic Rang-ghar, a 16th century sports pavilion, where the organisation was formally born exactly 21 years ago.

Speaking on behalf of the 531 boys and a woman who laid down arms and took an oath of allegiance to the Constitution of India, self-styled lieutenant Amrit Phukan said ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Barua had become a dictator and made ULFA his personal fiefdom. 8220;ULFA now runs according to the whims and fancies of Paresh Barua, who is leading a luxurious life along with his family abroad, while we are made to fight here, risking our lives,8221; said Phukan, who quit after remaining an armed wing member for eight years.

Phukan, who hails from Amguri, near this historic town which used to be the Ahom capital for more than 200 years before Assam was annexed to British India, also said that there was total moral degradation in ULFA, which prompted him and others to quit. 8220;There is also simmering discontent among the hundreds of cadre who are holed up in camps in Bhutan, and it is only a matter of time when the bubble will burst,8221; the 30-year-old youth, who spoke for 15 minutes on behalf of his comrades, added.

He also stated that a handful of self-styled 8220;saviours of Assam8221; had amassed huge sums and were living in safety while the common people and the lower-level cadre were suffering. Explaining the reasons behind his decision to quit, Phukan said that while a large number of ULFA cadre had increasingly realised that ULFA had become a hindrance for Assam8217;s development, the people proved how strong the ULFA8217;s mass base was when the Kargil war broke out.

8220;There are a number of other reasons why members of the organisation are becoming disgusted, and that was why even important leaders like Kalpajyoti Neog, Chakra Gohain, Mintu Dutta and Lohit Deuri also quit,8221; he said, adding that the top leaders were now living in a fool8217;s paradise.

Addressing the function, also attended by a large number of senior citizens of Sivasagar, Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said that it was time the ULFA leaders began to read the writing on the wall. He wondered why the ULFA leaders were avoiding dialogue when several other rebel groups, including both factions of the NSCNI-M, and the Bodo Liberation Tigers BLT had already agreed to talk.

The cadre who surrenderd here also laid down a large number of arms.