Paresh warns of strikes

Rajkhowa firm on dialogue decision



Paresh Barua, Arabinda Rajkhowa
Guwahati, Nov. 1: The Paresh Barua faction of Ulfa today warned the indigenous people of Assam to stay away from those associated with “occupational forces” to evade getting harmed in case of a strike by the outfit.
A statement emailed by the group, which is against dialogue without discussions on sovereignty, today said the warning was necessary given the situation in Assam and Ulfa’s commitment not to intentionally hurt the indigenous people in its fight against the “occupational forces”.
“We want to appeal to all indigenous people of the state to stay away from vehicles used by occupational forces, people associated with the forces and their residences, vehicles of leaders of political parties, outside companies and businessmen who are busy exploiting local resources and the corrupt like those who take bribes and blackmarketeers,” the email sent by leader of the group’s publicity cell, Arunodoy Dohotia, said. The group hoped the local people would maintain the distance so as not to face “unwanted situations”.
The warning comes a day after Barua said a solution to the India-Assam conflict was not possible without discussions on sovereignty, the main objective behind Ulfa’s formation. Hours after Dohotia’s email, the group led by chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa said Ulfa as an organisation had taken the decision to reach a political solution through dialogue and would not allow the ongoing process of political negotiation to be hampered because of opposition by one person (Paresh Barua).
“As an organisation, Ulfa has nothing to say about the personal statement of Paresh Barua which was made without the slightest knowledge of the present situation of Assam. It is always easy to issue warnings from a distance in the name of a so-called movement. In today’s scenario, the people of Assam are in favour of a political solution of the Ulfa-government problem,” the email sent by Kamal Kochari, a member of Rakjhowa group’s publicity cell, added.
“In today’s scenario, the demand to establish sovereign Assam is nothing but an imagination. There is no real value in the demand,” it said.
In another development, former Ulfa militants, under the banner of Prakton Ulfa Samanyarakhi Samiti, have called a 24-hour bandh in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts from 5am on Thursday in protest against the killing of Tileswar Lahon, a surrendered Ulfa.
Lahon was shot dead by unidentified assailants near his Moran residence on October 28. The Barua faction claimed to have killed him in retaliation to the killing of a farmer, Dulen Baruah, in 2008.
A large number of villagers, mostly from Balijan Kutoha, today blocked National Highway 37 at Kutuha Tinali under Barbaruah police station for over three hours in protest against the arrest of Tulen Handique of the village on Sunday in connection with Lahon’s killing.