NEW DELHE: The chief minister, Hiteswar Saikia, Thursday clearly indicated that talks were likely to be held with ULFA shortly and disclosed that one of recently unearthed in neighboring
Bhutan. So far, ULFA was known to have a training camp in Sylhet District of Bangladesh.
He said that during meetings with the Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao, and the Union home minister, S.B.Chavan, it was reiterated that the talks be held only if the outfit agreed to abide by the Constitution, If such an undertaking was given, there would be no hurdle in holding talks with the secession is to outfit.
Significantly, Saikia said he had submitted a draft on the “conditions of surrender, by ULFA activists to the Union home minis try. According to hi currently engaged i Rhino” had informed him that many ULFA activists were willing to lay down arms.
Reacting to the latest statements of the ULFAs “central publicity secretary”, Aniruddha Chaudhary that the ULFA was willing to come on its demand for “independence”, Salkia said he himself had stated on the floor of the assembly that there should be a debate on the ULFAs demands.
NO PROBLEMS: This commonality of approach is likely to set the tone for the talks with either the state government or the Center. “I have no problem if the ULFA wants to talk only to the Center” Saikia stated.
The chief minister said he had definite information that all top leaders of the outfit were very much in Assam and had not fled in the wake of the Army operations, unlike during “Operation Bajrang”. He disclosed that recently a huge quantity of heroin was found from an ULFA act in Golaghat district. This, he said, was for the first time that there was evidence of the out fits involvement in drug smuggling, contrary to the ULFAs claim that it had nothing to do with such activities.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 1, 1991
