ULFA pro-talk faction meets Assam CM, discusses rehabilitation of cadres
Jan 26, 2024
Guwahati (Assam) [India], January 26 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma chaired a meeting with a 13-member delegation of the pro-talks faction of ULFA, which is now disbanded, and discussed the issues of rehabilitation of its ex-cadres here in Guwahati.
The meeting held on Thursday discussed the demands of the delegation, which according to the members would help them to lead a respectable life.
The Chief Minister upon receiving the demands said that a mechanism of rehabilitation would be formulated for expeditiously meeting their demands.
He said that the government will proactively address all the issues to ensure that the ex-cadres and their family members can lead a decent life.
Chief Minister Sarma also said that he will work with all for the expeditious implementation of Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) that was signed in a tripartite agreement between Central government, State government and the pro-talks faction of ULFA on 29 December in the national capital.
The delegation was led by its president Rajib Rajkowar and general secretary Golap Barua.
DGP GP Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Home and Political Avinash Puroshattam Das Joshi, ADGP Hiren Nath and other senior officers of Home department were present at the meeting.
The pact signed in December was significant as the banned ULFA-Independent is the only major insurgent outfit in the state after the ULFA pro-talks faction signed the agreement with the Centre and Assam government.
The separatist ULFA was formed in April 1979 in the aftermath of an agitation against undocumented immigrants from Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan).
It split into two groups in February 2011 with the Arabinda Rajkhowa-led faction giving up violence and agreeing to unconditional talks with the government. Paresh Baruah, who leads the other rebranded ULFA-Independent faction, is against the talks.
A series of talks with officials concerned in the Central government has taken place since the delegation arrived in Delhi for signing the settlement pact.
The Union government has signed peace deals with rebel Bodo, Dimasa, Karbi, and Adivasi outfits in Assam over the last three years, bringing an end to the decades-long instability.
