No compromise on sovereignty: ULFA

“What amendment will they (the government) do? we have nothing to do with the proposal,” Paresh Barua, who is currently holed up in the ULFA’s “general headquarters” in the dense jungles of southern Bhutan, has said.

The interviews have been carried simultaneously by The North-East Daily and Dainik Asam, both published from Guwahati.

When pointed out that the Centre was willing to hold unconditional talks with the ULFA, the rebel leader who heads the armed wing of the outfit said, “the government may nothave any condition, but we have.”

“Talks can be held only on one condition, that being on the issue of sovereignty. We have been repeating this time and again. But I don’t think the government will come forward for talks on this issue. This is all politics,” Barua added.

He claimed that the government had failed to cripple the ULFA by adopting various repressive measures, and even attempts to split the ULFA had not yielded any result. “Whenever the government wants to render us weak, they prop up the idea of talks,” he said.

Barua said he did not believe that talks would yield any solution,and pointed out to surrender of a section of the ULFA leaders which took place in 1992 during the Congress regime.

“A section of our leaders went out for talks. But were the talks really held? They want us to surrender. They want to carry on the exploitation of Assam and at the same time want the Assamese people to remain silent without a word of protest. This is not done,” the ULFA commander said.

Heregretted that the government always described those who raised voices of protest against exploitation as terrorists. “They do not spare the journalists too. Whenever a journalist writes about these issues, he is arrested, killed,” he added.

The ULFA commander-in-Chief also described the government’s attempt to solve the Naga issue as a hoax. “The Naga demand for secession will not be solved this way, I can assure you,” Barua remarked.

The ULFA leader also dismissed reports that the group did not have mass support and that it was an ideology followed by only a handful of youths. “We have the common people with us. We have members in every village. Every Assamese wants to secede,” Barua claimed.

Changes in ULFA: The organisation has affected certain major changes in its top organisation. According to reports emanating from the general headquarters of the organisation in the Bhutan jungles, the central committee has appointed finance secretary Chitraban Hazarika as its general secretaryin-charge in addition to his original post in view of general secretary Anup Chetia’s arrest in Dhaka in December last.

Similarly, central publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary has been given additional charge of cultural secretary following the arrest of Pranati Deka, who was picked up by the police in Mumbai in September, 1998, reports said.

Meanwhile, vice-president Pradip Gogoi, who was shifted to Guwahati on April 17 after his arrest in Calcutta on April 8, is currently being interrogated by the police here.

Literary body to examine ULFA’s demands

Tired of years of violence and abortive official peace talks, the Asam Sahitya Sabha, the highest literary organisation of Assam, has constituted a panel to examine all the demands of the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). Sabha president Dr Nagen Saikia said this panel should take care of the demands of the ULFA and point out the extent to which these could be met. “The state government alone should not reject ULFA’s demand,” headded. The Sabha sought opinions about the suggestion from almost all the distinguished personalities of the state.

Dr Saikia said that the Sabha could not turn a blind eye to the social malaise and had thus stepped in to solve the crisis. However, critics disagree on the move of the Sabha saying that the panel would once again concern the state government, in whom the militant organisations reportedly had no faith.