NEW DELHI, Dec 23 ? Outlawed ULFA?s flip flop on the peace initiatives coupled with the recent spate of blasts have forced Assam Government to firm up plans to intensify anti-insurgency operations, Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi said here today.
The State Government?s strategy to further isolate ULFA is also partly because of the positive signals on two fronts. One is that Central Government has agreed to take lead in the talks with NDFB and the other is that the anti-talk faction of the UPDS has send signals to sit for talks with the Government.
Confirming this the Chief Minister said that anti-talk faction of the UPDS has expressed its desire to come for talks. He further revealed that the Central Government has agreed to take the lead in initiating dialogue with NDFB. The State Government has already written back to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) suggesting that the Centre should take the initiative as desired by the Bodo militant outfit, he added.
?We have no problem if they sit for talks with the Centre because ultimately the Chief Minister of the State has to be consulted,? he remarked. The bone of contention has been the insistence of the NDFB that Central Government should take the lead in the dialogue. The MHA had requested Assam Government to convene a meeting with NDFB, which would be attended by Central Government officials.
However, it is on the ULFA front that the State Government seems to be at its wits end. The Chief Minister today said that though it is willing to ceasefire if the outfit reciprocate, it could not afford to lower its guard. ?We will deal very firmly against the outfit if they continue with the violence,? he said, confirming that operation against the outfit was being intensified.
?Our case is that if ULFA is sincere about talks, then why indulge in violence,? he asked.
He said in no uncertain terms that the outfit has to abjure violence before coming to talks and drop its demand for discussion on sovereignty, which ULFA describes as the core issue. ?How can we talk about sovereignty? This is not the demand of the people of Assam and vast majority are not for it,? he contended.
He said it has been the State Government?s strategy to mobilise public opinion against the outfit and build up pressure on ULFA to sit for talks. The Government of Assam alone cannot bring them to talks, it is the public pressure like the case of Naga Ho-ho in Nagaland that would force them to come for dialogue, he said.
In Assam, the State Government wants more and more people to come out and pressurise ULFA to sit for talks. People want peace and prosperity. The State has been severely affected by violence. Even the NSCN has realised the futility of continuing with insurgency. And ULFA would also realise the futility of pursuing violence, he reasoned.
The sooner the ULFA comes for talks it is better for the State, he said. He reiterated that the State Government was ready to extend all facilities to anyone willing to broker peace with ULFA. In this connection, he referred to the initiatives taken by Jananpith Awardee, Dr Mamoni Raisom Goswami.