Gogoi to ULFA: Whose interest do you serve?

By our Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, June 30: Asom Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said with active support from foreign power, ULFA ‘commander-in-chief” Paresh Barua has converted Asom into a battle field. “By killing innocent people in the State, whose interest do you want to serve, Asom’s or ISI’s?” Gogoi questioned Paresh Barua.Talking to newsmen in Guwahati today, Gogoi said in the last few days, seven people were killed and over 90 injured. “All these were innocent people. This is cowardice,” Gogoi said, and added: “Even the ULFA leaders know it better that sovereignty of Asom is not possible as the people of the State don’t want it. Sovereignty is just a pretext of the outfit’s leaders to derail the peace process. When the PCG was about to pave the way for peace talks between the ULFA and the Government, the leaders of the outfit raised the issue of sovereignty in order to derail the peace process.”The Chief Minister appealed to the civil society of the State yet again to come forward and create a congenial atmosphere for peace talks between the Centre and the ULFA. Gogoi, however, excluded the PCG from the civil society of the State on the ground that the group works at the diktat of the ULFA that constituted it, and not in accordance with the wish of the people of the State. On the unilateral ceasefire announced by the ULFA’s 28 Battalion, Gogoi said: “It’s a good sign, but the AGP and the BJP are against it.” On former Chief Minister Prafaulla Kumar Mahanta’s statement that the Government should not play any divide-and-rule policy while initiating peace talks with the ULFA, he said: “Surrender and ceasefire are a continuous process in the State. So far about 13,000 militants have surrendered in Asom and it can’t be termed as a divide-and-rule policy.”On the unilateral ceasefire announced by the ULFA’s 28 Battalion, Gogoi said: “We haven’t received the terms and conditions of the ceasefire officially as yet. After getting it, we will see how the peace process can be carried forward.”When asked whether the recent spate of violence in Asom is the outcome of the announcement of unilateral ceasefire by 28 Battalion, Gogoi replied in the negative. “The ULFA triggered such blasts even when the outfit was not divided. The outfit is triggering such blasts so as to make its presence felt.”On the report of a study conducted by some NGOs that Asom is among the most corrupt States of the country, Gogoi said: “If Asom is so corrupt, how could all these developmental works take place in the State? I, however, don’t mean Asom is a totally corruption-free State. The State Government is trying to check corruption.”Taking a dig at former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, Gogoi said: “It doesn’t sound pleasant when Mahanta talks of corruption. After all, he is the main man behind the multi-crore-rupee LoC scam though he was not issued charge sheet due to some technical reasons. If anybody in the State Assembly wants to reopen the LoC scam, I am ready to open it.”Gogoi said that as asked by AICC’s Asom in-charge M Veerappa Moily, he would ask the ministers of his Cabinet to submit reports of their assets within two months. When asked if the reports would be made public, Gogoi said: “The public can get them through the RTI Act.”On the Indo-US nuclear deal, Gogoi said he is in favour of signing the deal. “If the UPA Government’s stand on the nuclear deal leads to early Lok Sabha polls in the country, I am ready for it. In fact, I have already geared up for the Lok Sabha polls,” he added. source: sentinel assam