GUWAHATI, Aug 23 ? The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the All Assam Students? Union (AASU) seem to be heading towards a collision course as the militant outfit today strongly reacted to the student union?s allegations against it and asserted that it had never compromised on the issue of presence of foreigners in Assam. Talking to The Assam Tribune over phone from an undisclosed location, the ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah said, ?We have ideological difference with the AASU and that is why we do not attach much importance to the statements of the leaders of the students? organisation.?
Baruah said that according to the ULFA, 1947, should be the cut off year for detection of foreigners including ?Indians? living in Assam and the outfit would never compromise on that. He alleged that it was the AASU that compromised on the cut off date for identification of foreigners living in the State and signed an agreement with the Government of India and agreed to 1971 as the cut off year for identification of foreigners living in the State. He said that the present leaders of the AASU should remember the fact that all the leaders of the ULFA were born and brought up in Assam and they actively participated in the language movement, refinery movement and also in the Assam movement for the detection and deportation of foreigners from Assam.
The ULFA leader alleged that it was the AASU that started the cult of violence in Assam during the Assam movement and instigated the people to attack people belonging to the minority community. He also alleged that most leaders of the AASU betrayed the people.