It’s Hazarika’s turn to answer

Dibrugarh, Jul 17 : Ulfa peaceniks will face the “people’s court” tomorrow for the first time when leaders of the two pro-talks companies of the outfit’s 28 battalion will take questions from “the masses” during a rally in Tinsukia district.

Since they offered a ceasefire on June 24, the Ulfa leaders have been holding meetings of their own volition to put across their views to the people. Tomorrow’s meeting will be the first to be organised by a people’s organisation, which indicated today that there could be “some unpleasant questions” thrown to the rebel leaders.“We welcome their peace initiative. But how do they propose to go ahead with one section of the outfit staying away? What good will such a fractured peace move do to the state? There are many questions to which we would like to have answers,” said Monoj Bora, a social worker and a member of the organising group.

The 15-member platform of co-ordinators includes educationists, social workers, businessmen, advocates and journalists.

Bora said the idea to organise such a rally was to give an opportunity to the people to ask questions, if they have any, to the Ulfa leaders directly and without any hesitation.

Mrinal Hazarika and Jiten Dutta have agreed to attend the meeting and answer queries.

“The people have heard much about the Ulfa leaders’ intention to broker peace with the government. There are however, several questions, which we are sure will be raised during the meeting. We also hope that people would not let go of this opportunity and ask whatever questions they have. After all, the Ulfa has been saying that the outfit’s constitution clearly mentioned that the opinion of the people of Assam will be of topmost priority for the outfit to chart out its future course of action,” Bora said.

Some members of the platform feel the Ulfa leaders owe it to the people of Tinsukia.

“The declaration of ceasefire is encouraging since the people in Tinsukia has been facing the music for insurgency for almost three decades now. We have launched a door-to-door campaign during which we have also approached the common men, housewives, children and students to come forward and take part in the interactive session,” said Sushil Gogoi, another member of the organising committee.

“We have questions forthe Ulfa leaders, and we will ask them tomorrow,” Pranami Kakoty, a housewife, said.

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