NEW DELHI, Aug 23 ? An outrageous plan to engineer blasts in Congress and AGP head offices in Guwahati, besides a few district offices of the ruling party, by the outlawed ULFA was thwarted in the nick of time on the eve of the Independence Day celebrations, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi disclosed this here today. The revelation came after a rattled State Government requested the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Home Affairs for additional forces, enhanced co-ordination in anti-insurgency operations, more equipment for police force and restraining of the NSCN (I-M) from extending shelter to ULFA and NDFB cadres.
The State Government had some inkling about the ULFA?s design this Independence Day but it was caught unawares because the outfit changed tactics and targeted crowds instead of VIPs. The Chief Minister told news conference that the ULFA had plans to target 100 places. As part of its plans to announce that it is still a force to reckon with, ULFA has planned major strikes in all the districts in the State. The diabolical plan is seen as a design by the outfit to negate any peace move initiated recently by the Centre to bring the outfit for talks, sources said.
The outfit had planned deadly strikes in Assam this month, but arrest of an ULFA cadre in Upper Assam led to discovery of plans to engineer a series of bomb blasts. The captured ultra revealed that they planned to carry bomb blasts in Rajib Bhavan, AGP head office at Ambari besides districts Congress offices in Jorhat and Sivasagar. But adequate precautions were taken and the plans were foiled in the nick of time, Sri Gogoi said.
The State Government would shortly submit to the Home Ministry fresh strategy in light of the change of tactics by the outfit, Sri Gogoi said. ?We want the Centre to change its strategy, deploy additional forces, create more border outposts and employ more equipment for our forces, and to restraint the NSCN (I-M),? Sri Gogoi said.
One of ULFA?s tactical shifts was outsourcing of some its jobs like planting bombs. ULFA has started hiring outsiders to do jobs like planting bombs. These people often do not have police record and this has created problem for the police, Sri Gogoi said. He disclosed that on the sidelines of the AICC session, he had discussions with the Home
Minister and the Defence Minister and briefed them on latest developments in the State. Assam Government wants the Centre to crack the whip on NSCN (I-M) as it has been found to be sheltering ULFA cadres besides helping with logistics. The Chief Minister reiterated that in the aftermath of the operations in Bhutan, fleeing ultras have managed to sneak into the State and have strengthened their position in Arunachal Pradesh, neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh. ?Now I have to fight on so many fronts, while earlier there were just a few,? he observed. The Chief Minister requested the Central leaders to persuade Arunachal Pradesh government to mount a crackdown in the two districts of Tirap and Changlang.
Meanwhile, in a significant move, the Parliamentary Standing Committee attached to the Ministry of Home Affairs today recommended that the Government of India should come forward to hold abroad, comprehensive and meaningful dialogue with all the extremist organisations who abjure the path of violence to find a peaceful and lasting solution to the problem.