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Assam : Talks with ULFA and Karbi Anglong militants

	February 06, 2006

In another positive development, the next round of peace talks between the ULFA and militant outfits of Karbi Anglong region and the Centre will begin on Feb. 7 and 13 respectively.



Wary of another round of bloodletting in the volatile Karbi Anglong district, the Congress government in the state led by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has moved the Centre to resume the “stalled” peace process with the militant outfits at the earliest.



The push for early talks comes in the wake of DHD chairman Dilip Nunisa questioning the government’s sincerity in amicably resolving the problems plaguing the hill districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills after the indefinite postponement of the outfit’s talks with Delhi on January 31.



Sources in the Chief Minister’s office said Dispur has requested the Centre not only to resume the talks soon, but also to try and meet the outfits’ demands, which are basically economic in nature, to prevent a repeat of the ethnic clashes plaguing the district.



UPDS’ demands include a special economic package for the two hill districts of Karbi Anglong and NC Hills, a corridor connecting Bokajan with Hamren subdivision and a self-rule homeland under the Constitution. The DHD wants a Dimaraji state comprising NC Hills and part of Karbi Anglong, Nagaon and Cachar districts, besides a financial package for the area’s development.



The two rebel outfits are said to be involved in the recent ethnic clashes between the Karbis and Dimasas, where the official death toll till January 15 stood at 106.



According to report, the new date for the talks has been fixed for Feb. 13. Disclosing this a spokesman of the state government said, “Barring a last-minute change, the Union Home Ministry has acceded to our request to hold the next round of talks on February 13. We want the talks with both the UPDS and the DHD to continue and be taken to their logical end. We don’t want a repeat of the clashes. We are aware of the sentiments of those involved and also the sensitive nature of the process,” a source said.



Another source pointed out that more violence would be the last thing the government would want before or during the elections. “Dispur’s apprehension is understandable,” he added.





Army operation against ULFA called off



In another development, the Army on Feb. 1 called off its operation in ULFA chief Paresh Barua’s native village, Jeraigaon, as pressure mounted on the government and the security establishment to treat the banned militant group with kid gloves.



Refusing to admit that the strident protests against alleged harassment of civilians by troops played a part in the decision, an Army official said the operation was “routine in nature” and called off only because the security think tank felt it had served its purpose.



The government, too, came under attack from the Opposition both within and outside the Assembly, on the very first day of the budget session.



The AGP and the BJP targeted Governor Ajai Singh the moment he mentioned that law and order in the state had improved. Agitated members accused him of “suppressing the truth about law and order.”



The reason for the Opposition’s tirade against Lt Gen. (retd) Singh was ostensibly his recent statement on talks with ULFA. He had said that there was nothing to negotiate with the militant group.



The Opposition members, led by AGP president Brindaban Goswami and BJP leader Bimalangshu Roy, were on their feet by the time the Governor was into only the fifth sentence of his 40-page speech. AGP member Dilip Saikia said the Governor did not have any right to question the credibility of the ULFA-constituted People’s Consultative Group when the Prime Minister himself presided over the first round of talks. He also pointed out the contradiction in the state government’s policy of continuing army operations and peace talks at the same time.



An unrelenting Opposition compelled the governor to read out the last paragraph of his speech before exiting the Assembly.



The AGP skipped the Speaker’s tea party and the BJP sought an amendment to the governor’s address.