Guwahati, Jul 28 : A jittery Ulfa today appealed to its members not to “betray” its cause in these “trying times”, fearing that more cadres may join the peace process initiated by leaders of the outfit’s 28 battalion.
To drive home the message of “commitment for the cause”, the Ulfa leadership chose the occasion of “martyrs’ day” of the outfit today to release a statement.Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa made an impassioned appeal to his “comrades” not to be “afraid” to face the “tough situation”.
He said if they falter now, the people of Assam would lose the faith reposed in Ulfa. “If they (people of Assam) are betrayed by their own children, then they will never repose faith in anyone in the future. It will be an irreparable damage to the people of Assam,” he said.
The statement from the Ulfa chief comes close on the heels of chief minister Tarun Gogoi’s announcement that more Ulfa cadres and leaders were keen to join the pro-talks group.
Rajkhowa also reminded the cadres of their pledge to adhere the Ulfa constitution and the directive of the leadership till the last breath. He said there was “no glory” in what the leadership of the 28 battalion had done.
“There is no justification for them to flee from the movement, blaming the Ulfa leadership,” Rajkhowa said about the pro-talks group.
Rejecting the stand taken by the pro-talks leaders that their move aimed at creating a conducive atmosphere for dialogues between the government and the Ulfa leadership, Rajkhowa said Ulfa has appointed the People’s Consultative Group to pave the way for talks and hence the outfit would not endorse a peace bid by a group which lacks credibility.
Earlier this month, the outfit expelled three pro-peace leaders for anti-organisational activities and initiating talks with “colonial India”.
Rajkhowa had said all the activities carried on by the pro-talks leaders in the name of Ulfa were “illegal and unconstitutional” and appealed to the existing members of the outfit and the people of Assam not to extend any co-operation to the group in its initiative.
“Ulfa’s stand is that the ceasefire should follow only after the commencement of the political parleys. It is the ploy of the occupational forces to force Ulfa to give up arms in the preliminary stage of the peace process,” Rajkhowa today said.
The Ulfa chairman also blamed the Centre for the stalemate in the peace process.
He accused the Centre of trying to create a rift in the rank and file of the outfit.
Saying that the government has no concrete plans for the peace, Rajkhowa said, “An appeal for peace without concrete plans signifies a deceptive plot.”
Reiterating the demand for a plebiscite on its demand for a “sovereign Assam”, Rajkhowa said the government was aware that any such plebiscite under UN supervision would go against India’s interests.
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