Bengalis urge Patil for resumption of talks with ULFA

New Delhi, Sep 6 (UNI) A delegation of Bengalis from Assam today urged the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to resume talks with the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) for bringing peace in the region.

After meeting the Home Minister, the delegation's Chief Convenor Chitta Paul told newsmen that the delegation had expressed serious concern about the sharp rise in the fundamentalist activities in the State and demanded the government to take action against it.

He said the delegation had urged the Minister to provide employment to Bengali Hindu people in the State Government and semi-Government sectors on the basis of 'population-pattern'.

The Congress party should nominate at least one Bengali Hindu candidate as the Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha from the Brahmaputra Valley and at least ten Bengali candidates as Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the same region, Mr Paul further said.

They should ensure that from now onwards no non-bengali teacher would be appointed in the Bengali medium schools in Assam, he added.

The delegation also urged Mr Patil to publish the Pathak Commission Report on communal riots of 1992 in Nagaon and Dhubri districts that occurred after the demolition of Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh.

They also demanded immediate implementaton of the Rajiv Gandhi Assam Accord to solve a number of major problems in the region.

The Minister was accompanied by Joint Secretary in-charge of North East Affairs Navin Verma during the meeting.

The ten-member delegation consisted of members from two Bengali organisations who have joined together for the protection of Bengali minorities in the State. These organisations are All Assam Bengali Parishad (AABP) and All Assam Bengali Unnayan Parishad (AABUP).

The delegation also submitted a four-page memorandum to Mr Patil.

UNI