Talks on sovereignty no, development yes: Gogoi

The CM lashed out at the ULFA for threatening Hindi-speaking people and said the ULFA had no authority whatsoever to issue such threats. “The ULFA has no authority to issue such threats to anybody. These threats and killings have only shown whose purpose the ULFA is serving,” Gogoi said.

“They are only going to serve those forces that are inimical to the interest of the country. Welfare of Assam is not on the agenda of the ULFA. They want Assam to remain backward and full of problems. They want the people of Assam to remain poor,” the CM said. He also equated ULFA’s demand for sovereignty with building castles in the air. “Sovereign Assam is nothing but a castle in the air. It is unrealistic. More than 99 per cent of the people of Assam do not support this demand,” the Chief Minister said.

Gogoi also reiterated his government’s commitment to protect all sections of people, and said if required, the government would not hesitate to pick up overground supporters and sympathisers of the ULFA. “While the state government is committed to protect the Hindi-speaking people, it is the Assamese people who have actually assured basic protection to them. One should not mistake the ULFA’s threat as a threat issued by the Assamese people,” Gogoi said.

The CM said 20 additional companies of Central paramilitary forces would be deployed in Guwahati to ensure security to the participants of the National Games to be held here from February 9. He had earlier said the army would remain on a stand-by mode during the mega sports event for which preparation has been already completed.

Welfare board

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday announced the constitution of a permanent welfare board to look after the special needs of those families which had become victims of insurgency. Families affected by insurgency in the past decade would be covered by this board, he said. “So long we were only taking stop-gap measures of paying some ex gratia and relief. The permanent welfare board will take up long-term programmes aimed at providing much-need support to those families that have been shattered by violence perpetrated by the militants,” Gogoi said.

Five held in Shillong

SHILLONG: Two suspected ULFA militants were arrested on Friday from Bhoirymbong area near Umroi airport here with three kilograms of RDX and a 9-mm pistol.

According to Umiam police, the two suspected ULFA members were apprehended on Thursday evening and the RDX and pistol were recovered from their car. They have been identified as Rajiv Basumatary and Wansanlang Rympei. Police said Basumatary is an ULFA militant and Rympei is said to a gunrunner for the outfit. Police are investigating whether three others held from Laitumkhrah belong to the banned ULFA outfit. — Tilak Rai