ULFA desperate, say intelligentsia and Assamese

By Peter Alex Todd

Guwahati, Feb 22 : People and intellectuals in Assam want peace and have decried the United Liberation Front of Ahom's (ULFA) attempt to disrupt normal life on some pretext or other as an act of desperation.

The banned separatist outfit recently called for a twelve-hour-long shutdown to protest the arrest of Lachhit Bordoloi, an ULFA appointed peace negotiator, on the charges of conspiracy to hijack a plane.

ULFA never protested against killing of its own people and now when it's modus operandi and its intention to hijack a plane is exposed, it resorted to the tactics of blocking all activities in the state.

"I believe this kind of statement being given by ULFA is more out of desperation. Because recently many of its cadres have been killed particularly in Khunari district and also many of its front ranking human right activities have been arrested in Assam. So, I believe the situation in which the process of an amicable settlement of ULFA's issue is gradually becoming thinner," said Nani Gopal Mahanta, a political scientist.

After the arrest of Bordoloi last week, ULFA decried the move by the State Government as an attempt to derail the peace process.

"There can't be any alternative to peace. Both the government of India and ULFA must realize the fact that people of Assam, today are praying for peace," said Mahanta.

ANI