Pro-talks Ulfa faction, Centre to meet this month

GUWAHATI: The next round of talks between the pro-talks Ulfa faction under Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and the Centre is likely to be held in New Delhi in September. The first round of talks were held in the first week of August. Ulfa has already submitted a charter of demands to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.

Sources in the state government added the process is on for signing of formal suspension of operation agreement with the outfit. Ulfa had on July 12, announced indefinite ceasefire. The charter, also called framework for negotiations to resolve the issue between Assam and the Centre, has 12 broad groups under which the talks will take place.

The charter includes grounds for Ulfa’s struggle a status report on missing Ulfa leaders and cadre, constitutional and political arrangements and reforms. It also raises protection of identity and material resources of the local indigenous population of Assam, financial and economic arrangements, including settlement of all royalties on minerals, including oil, on a retrospective compensatory basis and rights of independent use for a sustainable economic development in future.

The charter also raises the issue of illegal migration and its impact on the state’s demography and the required remedies. The solutions suggestes include sealing of international borders, river patrolling and development of a native force to man the borders. The charter also talks of issues of ethnic identities and the constitutional chalenges, settlement of border disputes and removal of encroachment and the reforms in education and health sectors necessary for preserving the identity of the people of Assam.

The charter also raises the issues of agricultural and rural development, development of infrastructure, removal of transport bottleneck, development of entrepreneurial skill and efficiency in labour, availability of credit, infusion of capital, leading to industrial takeoff. Ulfa hardliners headed by ‘Commander-in-Chief ’ Paresh Baruah have rejected the charter of demands. They said they will continue to fight for sovereignty of Assam.