Politics / Assam

GUWAHATI, January 20: The hope of a possible negotiation along with ceasefire with the ULFA was halted today with the latter questioning the sincerity of the Centre for talks, reports UNI. In a telephonic statement, given to local vernacular newspapers last night, ULFA chairman Aurobindo Rajkhowa and C-in-C Paresh Barua said the Centre's recent talks proved that they were not sincere. The Home Ministry had sounded that even sovereignty could be discussed with the ULFA triggering tremendous hope in entire Assam of a negotiated settlement. But the ULFA leaders described the Home Ministry's words...

JORHAT, January 20: The Mogh Barua Buddhists of Assam have demanded tribal status for the community on the lines of the Mogh tribals in West Bengal. The eighth biennial conference of the Federation of Mogh Barua Buddhist Welfare Association of Assam held recently, said the community should be re-enlisted as "Mogh" Barua tribe in the Tribe Schedule list of Assam as in Tripura and West Bengal as per the Schedule Tribe Order (1950) Part I rules and other provisions under the Constitution. In a memorandum to chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, the federation also demanded land pattas for...

SHILLONG, January 20: Meghalaya government today clarified that they would "not ask for" even an inch of Assam's land while resolving the three-decade-old boundary dispute with its neighbour. A senior leader of the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC), Holiram Terang, had yesterday threatened that not an inch of Karbi land would be transferred to Meghalaya as chief ministers of both the states had not taken the views of the people residing in the disputed areas. Reacting to Terang's threat, vice-chairman of Meghalaya land revenue committee Sayeedullah Nongrum said, "I can assure Terang...

GUWAHATI, January 20: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has ruled out possibility of having any electoral understanding with the regional AGP, Congress or BJP during the next Assembly election in the State. The general secretary of the party and former Lok Sabha Speaker, P A Sangma today informed that the NCP working committee would meet here on January 30 to discuss the political situation in the State and finalise the party's strategy for next round of Assembly polls in the State. Top ranking party functionaries including the national president, Sarad Pawar, Tariq Anwar, Devendra Dwivedi...

GUWAHATI, January 19: Chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta's initiative to end Assam's three-decade-old boundary dispute with Meghalaya has run into rough weather, with senior Autonomous State Demand Committee leader Holiram Terang vowing not to yield "even an inch of land" to the neighbouring state. The legislator from Baithalangsu constituency in Karbi Anglong today said Mahanta was playing into the hands of Meghalaya by offering to resolve the issue on a "give-and-take basis". Claiming that his views represented those of the tribal people living in the disputed area, Terang said neither...

GUWAHATI, January 19: The Oil India Limited's (OIL) decision to appoint as many as 300 unskilled workers at one go has literally opened the Pandora's box putting the public sector giant in a dilemma with several students organisations and political parties pressurising it to take in their 'hand-picked' candidates. Sources in the OIL admitted that pressure from various students' organisations was mounting even as the authorities preparing to announce the results of recruitment drive after screening about 9000 candidates from three Upper Assam districts of Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia. With...

NEW DELHI, January 19: At least four senior Congress leaders from the Northeast, including two from Assam, are in the race for a berth in the all-powerful Congress Working Committee (CWC). The Barak Valley strong-man and former Union Minister, Santosh Mohan Dev, former State minister Anwara Taimur from Assam, Nagaland Chief Minister SC Jamir and former Mizoram Chief Minister Lalthanhawla are lobbying to secure a nomination to the 24-member body. Absence of former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma from the scene has led to a better prospect for other senior leaders from the region to secure a...

GUWAHATI, January 18: The underground National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) has declared as "banned" five other Bodo groups including the All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU), Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS) and All Bodo Women's Welfare Federation (ABWWF) for their alleged "nefarious" activities and threatened selective elimination of their leaders. A statement by the NDFB's publicity secretary B Erakdao on Wednesday evening said the ABSU, BSS, ABWWF, Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT) and the Bodo People's Action Committee (BPAC) had joined hands to "crush" the NDFB's "revolution" for a sovereign Bodo...

GUWAHATI, January 18: The State police has failed to withdraw personal security officers (PSOs) from as many as 20 surrendered militants in the State in view of the Court directive to maintain status quo in this regard. The Director General of the State Police, H K Deka today informed that total 38 surrendered militants had been provided with PSOs in view of the threat to their lives. However, the State Police recently decided to withdraw PSOs from 20 surrendered ultras as per the suggestion of the review committee. However, the former ultras moved the Court raising objection to withdrawal of...

GUWAHATI, January 18: The peace talks between the Government and the Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT) are progressing satisfactorily and the Central Government will announce a comprehensive package for the solution of the Bodo problem shortly, said the BLT publicity secretary, Mainao Daimary. Talking to The Assam Tribune here, Daimary, who was in the city to attend a meeting of the ceasefire monitoring group, said that the BLT was hopeful of an amicable solution to the Bodo problem. He said that they have confidence in the sincerity of the Central Government in solving the Bodo problem as both the...