Jun 22, 2011

Assam: Congress Reaps Election Harvest from Peace

The pro-talk faction of ULFA led by Arabinda Rajkhowa congratulated Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi for leading the Congress to a third consecutive victory in the assembly polls. "We believe the people of Assam has given the mandate in favour of the Congress in the hope of a peaceful negotiated settlement of the long-standing problems of the Assamese people", ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa said in a statement e-mailed to PTI. “We sincerely hope that during the next five years that there is a permanent political settlement of the long-standing issues of the Assamese people," he added.

NDFB (Progressive) a Bodo group involved in the peace process with the Centre also congratulated and welcomed the newly formed Congress government headed by Tarun Gogoi. Organisation’s information and publicity secretary S. Sanjarang said “The NDFB (P) hopes that the new government will be able to discharge good and effective governance to Assam and foster peace and all-round development. We also would like to appeal to the chief minister, who is always seen to be working for peace and rights of each and every downtrodden and marginalised community of Assam, to give proper attention to the NDFB (P)’s peace process and take necessary steps to accelerate the political negotiation for immediate resolution of the Bodoland problem,” the release said.

Meanwhile the process of negotiations between the ULFA and the government is likely to gather some momentum.  On 25 May ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa publicly sought forgiveness for the killing of ten children and three women in a bomb blast in Assam's Dhemaji district on August 15, 2004. The citizen’s peace broker group, Sanmilita Jatiya Abhibartan, handed over the draft charter for negotiating peace with the government to Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa. The draft charter will be discussed at the outfit's platform and a formal decision will be taken in one month's time before starting the talks.

"The charter demands constitutional amendments to give the state of Assam and thereby its people greater control over its own future through strengthening the state's power to control the revenues generated here from the natural resources and planning and process of use of the natural resources, to secure demographic situation as well as accelerated balanced development," convener of the forum Gohain said.

"This charter of demand will be the basis of discussion between Ulfa and the government." Ulfa chairman Rajkhowa commented, "This draft charter reflects the hopes and aspirations of the people of Assam. We will discuss this draft at our organization platform for consideration and take the formal decision in one month's time before we submit it to the government."

Rajkhowa also appealed to the government for putting discussions with Ulfa on fast track. "We do not want a prolonged discussion. We are trying for a fast solution and we appeal the government to reciprocate the same way." Possibly he was citing the delay in making peace with the NSCN IM which has been in negotiating mode for over 13 years now without any light at the end of the tunnel.

The Dimasa militant group, Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) accused the Centre of bias in handling different militant groups. In a letter to Union home minister P. Chidambaram dated May 20, a copy of which was released, the DHD (J) alleged “It is now quite evident that the policy of the government towards the DHD (J) in particular and the Dimasas in general is biased. The voices from the corridors of power had time and again reiterated that no talks would be held without prior surrendering of arms but it can be seen that the government is using a different yardstick in handling Ulfa,” the letter, signed by P. Dimasa, the deputy chairman of the outfit, stated. “Moreover, the demands of the DHD (J) are all within the Constitution and have nothing to do with sovereignty,” the letter added.            

The DHD J’s allegation of differential treatment of various groups by the government has some grounds. The government seems to be treating larger groups as the NSCN IM and the ULFA separately from the smaller ones as the DHD J.  Though the charges against each group and leader may be different and therefore legally the government would be able to stave off the challenge in a court of law, nevertheless pursuing peace differently with each group is a policy that may raise more questions and add to the sense of perceived grievance by these.

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