In what was feared the ongoing peace-initiative of a civil society groups Sanmilita Jatiya Abhibartan received a major setback with Ulfa chief Paresh Baruah rejecting the initiative of the forum and justifying the necessity of a civil society group like Peoples Consultative Group to which Ulfa had nominated.
Claiming that the body of senior citizens and intellectuals do not represent the common people, the Ulfa chief said, “The Peoples Consultative Group, now disbanded, was a better body to represent the group’s cause as they understood the sentiment of the people.”
In a statement issued through email he claimed, “The Sanmilita Jatiya Abhibartan of Assam totally failed in handling the issue of peace talks with colonial rulers (central government) and they (members of Citizens Forum) showed only their personal views”.
“The forum members may be highly qualified, educated people, but they lack tactics to handle issues like the Ulfa problem with the realities at the ground level”, the Ulfa chief said.
A six-member delegation of the citizens forum of Assam led by Dr Hiren Gohain was in New Delhi and met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, home minister P. Chidambaram and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The forum which had wide consultations pleaded that even if elusive Ulfa chief Paresh Baruah does not join, the peace-process should start.
The convener of the forum went on claiming that Ulfa chief may be marginalised if he opposes the peace-initiative as majority of the central committee members of the outfit are in favour of holding talks.
Irked at remarks of the citizens forum, the Ulfa chief in an oblique remark branded the citizens forum of acting at the behest of the Congress government. “The SJA members represented their own selfish interest during their talks with the centre and do not understand the sentiment of the Assamese people,” he said.
If security analysts are to be believed, ongoing developments are now threatening to jeopardize the entire peace-process once again as New Delhi was reluctant to allow the release of jailed Ulfa leaders without proper home work.
The hurriedly taken decision to send members of the Sanmilita Jatiya Abhibartan to New Delhi for mounting pressure on centre to secure the release of jailed Ulfa leaders was an unwise decision, they felt. (EOM)