We will continue to strike, and why not: ULFA chief

have absolutely no doubt that the killings were planned by RAW (Research and Analysis Wing) and the Indian Army. The killers left Guwahati in three Maruti cars for Barama (in Nalbari district where four members of ULFA’s central publicity secretaryMithinga Daimary were killed).

But it’s been widely reported that SULFA men were involved.

I admit there were SULFA people. And, we won’t spare them. But we won’t touch their families.

Does it mean you will start retaliatory killings?

Those who betrayed us will not be spared. But we won’t fall into the Government’s trap. We are not fools. We’ve seen how the Indian Army created fratricidal wars in Punjab and Kashmir.

You’ve already begun in Assam. Last Monday, your people killed Tapan Datta, (onetime senior ULFA leader of Dibrugarh who surrendered in 1992).

Yes, we killed him but we had solid reasons. That man siphoned off something like Rs 300 crore of ULFA money before surrendering. We had definite information he had invested that money in big Indian companies…

What about the 140 men who surrendered today?

Most are thiefs, dacoits. There are two or three who had been our hardcore members. But they’ve been compelled to surrender.

Any chances that the ULFAwill begin talks with the Government, either the Assam Government or the Centre?

There’s no question of talking to Prafulla Mahanta. He’s only an agent of the Indian Government. As for talks with the Centre, four years ago we’d given three conditions: the talks have to be at some UN table; they have to be held in a third country and we’d make no compromise on Assam’s independence.

Do you think the Indian Government will ever accept these conditions?

That’s our stand.

Even the NSCN (Isaac-Muivah) is talking to Delhi. They’ve agreed to a cease-fire for more than a year now.

What will the Nagas get from these talks? Nagas have been talking to Delhi since 1962.

Has the BJP government made any offer for talks?

No. We consider the BJP and its Hindu communalism the worst enemy of all struggling nationalities.

Independence Day is two days away. Have you planned many more strikes like the blast at Indian Oil depot?

We’ll continue such strikes. And why not? Assam getsonly two per cent of the revenue the Indian State collects from oil in Assam. Is this fair? Our people will boycott India’s Independence Day functions everywhere in Assam.

But people will stay away because they are afraid of the ULFA.

We dont want to spread fear, our enemy is the Indian State. We’re into a battle and innocent people sometimes get caught in the crossfire.