ULFA wants PM in their unconditional peace talk

Guwahati, Feb 6: The terror outfit of North-East India, ULFA is all ready to step forward towards their "unconditional" peace talk with Indian government. But ULFA leaders wants Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in their meeting, though such a possibility is remote due to the paucity of time, sources said.

"The ULFA leaders may meet the prime minister but it will be only a courtesy call. The prime minister will not get into the nitty-gritty of the talks," stated Centre's interlocutor PC Haldar.

As per the latest report, Home secretary GK Pillai will begin the talk with the extremists and ULFA, as being hinted, also ready to drop the group's core demand of 'sovereignty' during the meeting.

"It will be a preparatory kind of meeting. The talks will begin with a meeting with Home Secretary while the Home Minister may drop in to meet the ULFA leaders if he is available," Haldar stated.

Ahead of the Assembly elections in Apr-May 2011, the peace talk process will work as major boost to the Congress party in Assam, sources expected.

However, the spokesperson of ULFA declared, "Ulfa members won't vote in the coming assembly elections. We will not vote as we are not on the voters' list."

"We want to have a round of talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is a representative of Assam in Parliament," stated the ULFA spokesperson.

"Our chairman, Arabinda Rajkhowa, had invited Paresh Baruah (ULFA commander-in-chief) to the central executive committee meeting that was held in Nalbari on Jan 18. But he couldn't attend it," he continued.

"We are now conveying our decision to him. We will wait for his stand before taking any action," he added.

OneIndia News
(With inputs from PTI)