Sri Sri urges ULFA to withdraw National Games boycott

Bangalore, Dec 29 (UNI) Art of Living Founder Sri Sri Ravishankar today appealed to the leadership of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to withdraw the boycott call of the 33rd National Games, which is scheduled to begin on February 9 in Guwahati.

In a statement here, Sri Sri Ravishankar said ''It will be a great disappointment for the youth of the North East to not have a peaceful National Games''.

Stating that games and sports were an effective means of keeping people healthy and free from depression, he said, ''holding the Games without the cooperation of the ULFA will create fear and anxiety among the participants and deprive the already marginalised people of the region of a sporting mega event''.

He appealed to the ULFA leaders to adopt democratic and non-violent means to resolve their problems.

Responding to a plea from the People's Consultative Group (PCG) --the forum constituted by the ULFA to facilitate peace talks with the Government of India -- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar appealed to the Prime Minister to hasten the process for releasing the five jailed ULFA leader as envisaged in the Joint Declaration of June 22, 2006.

Calling for the release of the aged and invalid ULFA leaders on humanitarian grounds, Sri Sri has also offered to mediate in the peace talks which have hit the deadlock and taken a new turn following the ULFA's call for a boycott of the National Games.

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