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Assam peace process : All set for direct talks with ULFA

	July 03, 2006

Having set the stage for a direct dialogue between New Delhi and the banned ULFA, the People’s Consultative Group is poised to make the transition from mediator to “opinion-builder.”



The ULFA-constituted team of negotiators said on June 25 that it was “awaiting a directive” from the militant leadership on its future role. But it is almost certain that the nine-member group’s task will be to mobilise public backing for the militant group’s demands.



“ULFA will need the support of the masses during the talks to put pressure on the Centre to accede to its demands. The PCG will have to play that role, just like some organisations are doing in Nagaland,” a source said.



The last round of talks between the PCG and New Delhi was the most fruitful one since the peace process began. The Union Home Ministry agreed, in principle, to release five jailed ULFA leaders in accordance with a request from Dispur.



PCG member Lachit Bordoloi said the role of “civil society” in conflict resolution was an important one and he and his colleagues in the team would most likely be assigned that role. “Civil society’s role in a peace process is always important. We will continue to mobilise public opinion.”



The source said the team of mediators, constituted last year, could become a “backroom council”, advising the ULFA on the basis of feedback from the people.



Writer Mamoni Raisom Goswami, who initiated the peace process, said she was ready to “move aside and let the boys do the rest”. But it is unlikely that her services will be abandoned by the outfit at this crucial juncture.



Goswami said she would formally communicate her wishes to the ULFA leadership, though sources close to her revealed that she had already received several requests to continue playing a role in the peace process.



Many in the government feel that the PCG must remain active for the dialogue to remain on track. “If something goes wrong in the peace process, the PCG can help bring it back on track,” a senior official said.



The militant group is expected to make a formal announcement of its involvement in the peace process once five of its jailed leaders are freed. The outfit has been insisting on their release by citing the need for “quorum” in its central committee.



The jailed ULFA leaders who will be released are vice-chairman Pradip Gogoi, founder member Bhimkanta Buragohain, publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary, culture secretary Pranati Deka and Ramu Mech.





Rebels allege deal



A group of ULFA militants, who had earlier accused the outfit’s chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa of selectively killing several of its members, has alleged that he had struck a “secret deal” with the ruling Congress before the Assembly elections.



The rebels said on June 30 it was because of the “secret deal” of Rs 150 crore that Rajkhowa had given a press statement in the name of ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Barua on February 12, blaming the AGP for the Kakopathar incident.



They also claimed that the statement was issued because the incident had turned the mood of the people against the Congress.

One Biju Deka, who claimed to be the commander of ULFA’s 27 battalion, on June 30 joined the quartet of Rudra Baruah, Bijoy Kalita, Hemanta Kalita and Kamal Ahmed in their tirade against the ULFA chairman. The four had claimed a fortnight ago that they had been targeted because they were from Lower Assam.





NDFB burns in encounter heat



The National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) erupted in righteous indignation and accused police of trying to subvert the peace process after two of its members, both alleged extortionists, were shot dead in an encounter in Karbi Anglong on June 26. Two more rebels in the group escaped the dragnet.



The encounter occurred in a Bodo-dominated area under Dokmoka police outpost, about 65 km from Diphu town.



Karbi Anglong Additional Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Debendra Deka said a police team spotted the five Bodo militants near the Langhing Stadium while they were on an alleged mission to extort money from a businessman. The target had previously received a note from the militants, specifying the demand.



“As soon as the police team reached the spot, the militants hurled a grenade and started firing. The police retaliated and two of the militants died.” Deka said.



Two Chinese grenades, a mobile phone, two chargers and a sheaf of incriminating documents were found on the slain militants.



The NDFB accused the police of violating the ceasefire by firing without provocation. The militant group had reacted in much the same manner when eight of its members had been arrested in Guwahati a couple of months ago and two killed in police firing during a subsequent bandh in Lower Assam.



The NDFB said it would formally petition New Delhi to keep the security forces on a leash.



B. Gaukrub, the outfit’s Karbi Anglong district commander, said the police should have arrested the militants if they had done anything wrong. The outfit declared a 24-hour Karbi Anglong bandh on Wednesday. Several other Bodo organisations demanded action against the “culprits”.



The police obviously had a different story to tell. A senior official said the Bodo militant group had stepped up extortion along the Karbi Anglong-Nagaon border.



The Bhojpuri Yuba Chhatra Parishad recently moved the Nagaon administration for the deployment of additional security forces in areas inhabited by Hindi-speaking people. It said the NDFB had demanded Rs 5,000 from each family. Karbi militants are also active in these areas.





AGP : Disunity over unity moves



Disunity continued to plague the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on the issue of “unity” with a section of members badgering the leadership to invite former Chief Minister and party chief Prafulla Kumar Mahanta to the proposed August conclave that is expected to decide the course of regional politics.



Party president Brindaban Goswami contradicted general secretary Phani Bhushan Choudhury’s claim about all “estranged leaders associated with regionalism” being invited to the meeting. “How can the list (of invitees) be finalised when a 15-member committee has yet to sit down and discuss the issue,” he asked.



Choudhury had told the media earlier that all those associated with the Assam Movement - it led to the birth of the AGP - would be invited to the meeting, irrespective of which party they belonged to now. The AGP general secretary is the convener of the panel.



Mahanta, who was expelled from the party last year and went on to form the AGP (Pragatisheel), said the situation was “fluid” but he would keep his “door open for reunification”. On whether he would attend the meeting, if invited, Mahanta said: “I will comment on this only after getting an invitation.”



Goswami, too, played safe, declining to say whether he would personally approve of Mahanta’s presence at the conclave. “The steering committee will take the final decision only after the 15-member committee comes up with any such proposal. It is premature to say more than this,” he said.



The contradictory statements from within the AGP reflect the division in the party over the issue of Mahanta and his flock returning to the parent party. “One group has been insisting that everybody associated with the agitation (Assam Movement) should be invited, while those loyal to Goswami are saying that by this logic, several Congress leaders like Bharat Narah, Kirip Chaliha and others who were in the AGP should also be invited,” said an AGP leader, claiming to be a “neutral observer”



Going by the mood in the party, invitations could go out to only Biraj Sarma, Rekha Rani Das Boro and a few more who were “estranged” from the party just before Assembly elections.





Tea tribes set deadline for Assam govt



The All Assam Tea Tribe Students Association has given the state Government 15 days to produce a “progress report” on how far Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s pre-poll promises have been fulfilled.



The central executive committee of the union set the deadline following a marathon meeting at Sonari in Sivasagar district on June 25.



During a discussion with union leaders of February 28, Gogoi had promised to fulfil several of their demands. These included appointing 80 youths of the community as high school teachers and depositing the state government’s share in the provident fund accounts of workers of Assam Tea Corporation Limited (ATCL) gardens.



Now that nearly four months have passed since the promises were made, “the community wants to know what action has been taken by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and his government after coming to power for the second time in a row”, union general secretary Padma Luchon Das said over telephone.



The general secretary of the influential organisation of tea tribes also warned the Congress and the state government that it would be compelled to resort to an agitation if the government failed to solve the problems of the 70-lakh-strong community.







Demolition shadow on Games



If Dispur’s hammer does come down on “all” illegal structures in the city, the National Games cannot possibly be held in October.



The main National Games stadium, which is still under construction at Sarusajai, does not have the mandatory no-objection certificate from either the Guwahati Municipal Corporation or the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority.



A source in the GMDA said this was contradictory to Dispur’s stand on the violation of building bylaws applicable to the city. The building bylaws state that any permanent construction within the Guwahati municipal or metropolitan area should have the consent of the GMC or the GMDA.



Guwahati Development Department Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced punitive action, including demolition, against all buildings constructed without obtaining permission from the city’s municipal authorities. He was perhaps oblivious to the fact that Larsen & Toubro has been constructing the main stadium without procuring a no-objection certificate.



The only concession for government buildings is exemption from paying fees. Private builders have to pay a certain amount of money as fees for approval of their plans, but it is waived for government structures. “By disregarding the building bylaws, the government has set a bad precedent,” a source said.



“The addition of even a single floor to a private building without permission is enough to bring in the demolition squad. Against this backdrop, the government owes the people an explanation as to why its own agencies have not bothered to complete the necessary official formalities before going ahead with construction of official buildings,” he added.



Sources said Larsen & Toubro began constructing the stadium on March 2, 2004, on the basis of designs prepared by the architecture company STUP Consultants. But the designs did not have either the GMC or the GMDA’s stamp of approval.



“Since the National Games Secretariat - comprising senior government officials - is co-ordinating with both STUP and Larsen & Toubro, it was expected of them to be mindful enough to seek the GMC or GMDA’s approval before beginning construction,” the source said.



The Telegraph has published a series of reports on government buildings - including the new secretariat - being constructed without permission.