Abjure violence and sovereignty demand: Assam CM to ULFA

Guwahati, December 7 (Agencies): ULFA has to abjure violence and give up its demand for sovereignty before peace talks are held, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday said and warned the group of stern measures if it resorts to violence. “The door for discussions is always open. It is up to the ULFA to hold peace talks with the government. Talks are not a one-sided affair. When they talk, we will talk with them. Except sovereignty we will talk with them on all issues.
They also have to abjure violence before coming for discussions,” Gogoi told reporters. “If they resort to violence, then we will take stern measures against them,” he warned. Asked if peace parleys are possible without the participation of ULFA ‘commander-in-chief’ Paresh Barua, he said, “if talks can be held with one faction of the NDFB and with NSCN-IM without their leader Phizo, why not with ULFA?”
On ‘chairman’ Arabinda Rajkhowa and ‘deputy c-in-c’ Raju Barua being taken to court in handcuffs, Gogoi said, “it has been done as per law. It is a police matter. No specific instruction was given. As they are involved in violence and as a safety measure, they were handcuffed so that they could not be forcibly taken away.”
Asked if there was a split in the ULFA, Gogoi said, “from Paresh Barua repeatedly sending e-mails to Rajkhowa through the media it can be deduced that there is some difference.”
Asked about the fate of the families of Rajkhowa and other ULFA leaders, Gogoi said, “we will take care of them if they want.” Noting that the ULFA must understand people of Assam want peace and development, he said the violence has hit Assam’s development and affected the youth. “ULFA no longer enjoys people’s support and their base is dwindling. We have taken up development projects so that the youth are not recruited by the ULFA,” he said.
On pro-ULFA slogans raised when Rajkhowa was produced in court on Saturday, Gogoi retorted “the slogan-shouters are traitors. After the recent Nalbari bomb blasts people shouted anti-ULFA slogans. “Are they (ULFA) good people? The common people have not forgotten what the ULFA did in Dhemaji and Nalbari killing innocents, including children,” he said.
Gogoi was, however, unhappy with the way civil and police officials handled the security around the court when Rajkhowa and two others were produced with people climbing on the bus they were brought. “I am extremely unhappy with the way the officials handled the situation. Any unfortunate situation could have taken place,” he said.