Nagaon, Apr 8 : Cautioning that any effort to exclude the head of the anti-talk faction of ULFA will not bear fruit, former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta Friday said the "experiment of peace" initiated by the ruling Congress can be dangerous for the state.
"This politics of peace pursued by the ruling Government can lead the state towards a insurgency-related crisis," the leader of opposition and two-time former CM told reporters here.
"Any effort to exclude Paresh Barua, the commander-in-chief of ULFA (anti-talk faction), will not be fruitful," Mahanta said.
Mahanta, who was instrumental in launching the first army operation in the state against the ULFA and forming the unified command for anti-insurgency operation, said "instead of negotiating with only one faction, the government should have brought everyone within the ambit of the peace process and this divide and rule policy is fraught with dangerous consequences."
"The recent spurt of explosion in the state capital Guwahati and that too in the Congress headquarter Rajiv Bhavan is an indicator that peace is a far cry in Assam," the veteran AGP founder President added.
Turning to the initial round of peace talks between ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and his colleagues and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mahanta wondered how the ruling Congress claimed to have restored peace afterwards.
"The most important leader Paresh Baruah is against any peace initiative and still this government think its possible to resolve the issue without his involvement!" Mahanta said.
On negotiation with NDFB, Mahanta reiterated his stand for holding talks with both factions.
"In fact, the state government's changing focus on peace has even surprised the mainstream Assamese people," he claimed.
"Before the 2001 and 2006 election the Congress had claimed development was the only reply to militancy and now they are just claiming the opposite...Everyone is shocked with the government's stand that resolving the ULFA problem this way will bring in development," he said.
Mahanta, contesting in Bahrampur and Samuguri constituencies in the state's second phase of polling, was upbeat about returning to power.
The AGP, fighting 104 of the 126 assembly seats in Assam, will "become the single largest party after the elections," he predicted.
0 comments:
Post a Comment