Author: R Dutta Choudhury
Publication: Assam Tribune
Date: March 19, 2008
URL: http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=mar1908/at01
With continuous acts of violence and killings
of innocent people, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) proved that
it is not serious in solving the problems through talks, said Chief Minister
Tarun Gogoi. He also said that the Government would not take any chances on
the threat posed by fundamentalist elements based in Bangladesh.
Talking to The Assam Tribune here today, the
Chief Minister hit out against the ULFA and said that no other militant organisation
killed so many innocent civilians. "We fail to understand what the ULFA
aims to achieve by planting bombs in crowded places, killing innocent civilians.
The blasts in public places and the recent blast during a festival at Jonai
in Dhemaji district was one of the most heinous crimes," he added. Referring
to the ULFA's denial of its involvement in the blast in Jonai, Gogoi said
that the militant outfit always has the habit of denying its involvement in
blasts after public resentment. He further said that the opposition parties
failed to strongly condemn the ULFA for the blasts in public places.
Gogoi pointed out that when the ULFA formed
the People's Consultative Group (PCG) to hold initial parleys with the Government
of India, the State Government extended full cooperation to the PCG in the
interest of bringing the militant, for talks and even suspended operations
against the ULFA unilaterally. He alleged that the ULFA was serving the interests
of Bangladesh rather than that of Assam and that is why the top leaders of
the militant outfit were given shelter in the neighbouring country.
The Chief Minister asserted that the Government
is keen on solving the problem of militancy through dialogues, but the ULFA,
with its acts of violence proved that it was not sincere on solving the problems
through political negotiations. He said that the Government was of the view
that the talks should be held without any pre-condition and the top leaders
of the ULFA must come forward to the negotiation table. But the ULFA was insisting
on pre-conditions knowing full well that the Government would not be able
to accept the same, he alleged.
Commenting on the allegation that the police
and security forces failed to protect the life and property of the people,
the Chief Minister said that the vigilance by the security forces improved
considerably. He pointed out that in recent times, a large number of bombs
were recovered and a good number of cadres of the militant groups were apprehended.
Or else the level of violence would have been much more, he added.
On the threat posed to the security of the
State by fundamentalist elements, Gogoi said that though such elements have
not yet indulged in any large-scale violence in Assam, the Government was
not willing to take any chance. He pointed out that Assam has long international
border with Bangladesh where the fundamentalist forces have their bases and
threat posed by such elements to Assam cannot be ignored.
Replying to a question on the slow progress
of the peace talks with the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB),
Gogoi expressed doubts on the sincerity of the outfit in solving the problems
through talks. He pointed out that even after two years of signing of the
cease-fire agreement, the NDFB failed to submit the charter of demands to
start the political dialogues, while, the members of the outfit also violated
the ground rules of the agreement and refused to go to the designated camps.
"The Government has not yet withdrawn the cease-fire agreement only because
we are sincere in solving the problems through talks," he added. He also
termed the allegations that the Congress-led Government was not taking steps
to expedite the process of talks with the NDFB because of pressure from alliance
partner BPF as baseless and pointed out that the cease-fire agreement with
the outfit was signed during the tenure of the present Government. He also
admitted that not much progress has been achieved in the process of talks
with the United People's Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) and the Dima Halam Daogah
(DHD).
