'ULFA wants a permanent and respectful solution'

Lakwa (Assam), Dec 29 (ANI): Incarcerated ULFA's chief Arabinda Rajkhowa'a wife, Kaveri Kachari, has sought a permanent and respectful solution to the aspirations of Assamese.

Speaking on behalf of the ULFA in Lakwa, she said: "We (ULFA) want a respectful, honourable and open discussion for a permanent solution. Personally, I feel that an open solution cannot happen in jail or in handcuffs. And, if that happens, the discussion would not be a successful one."

She added that everything including the issue of sovereignty should be discussed in open and decision will be taken by the executive council of the ULFA.

Earlier this month, Rajkhowa, who remained underground for almost two decades, was arrested in Bangladesh and brought to India.

In less than a month, the ULFA was dealt another body blow with the arrest of the group's top leaders, including Rajkhowa, Raju Baruah, Chitraban Hazarika and Sacha Chaudhary.

The police believe that group's military commander Paresh Barua is still elusive, hiding somewhere along the Myanmar-China border.

The ULFA, which demands independence for the tea and oil-rich Assam, is running a three-decade-old campaign that has claimed the lives of 30,000 people. (ANI)