Assam: Pro-talks ULFA likely to sign peace deal with Centre before 2024 Lok Sabha elections
GUWAHATI: The United Liberation Front of Asom (Pro-talk faction) on Wednesday finalized the draft agreement to be signed with the central government to put an end to the four-decade-long armed struggle of the outfit in Assam.
The pro-talk faction of the outfit left the path of violence and came to the negotiating table in 2010 following which the state government released all the jail leaders, including chairman Arabindaa Rajkhowa and vice chairman Pradip Gogoi.
“We hope to sign a peace deal with the Centre before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” ULFA (Pro-talk) general secretary Anup Chetia told reporters after the meeting of the General Council of the outfit at Wild Grass in Kaziranga, Assam on Wednesday.
“We have suggested for reservation of 94 assemblies and 8 Lok Sabha seats for indigenous communities of the state permanently in the proposed deal,” Chetia said.
“We also added another clause in the deal for updating of National Register of Citizens (NRC) with 1950 as the cut-off-year,” he said.
“Following the talk with the Central government in 2011, the peace interlocutor AK Mishra had given us a draft of the agreement before the Rongali Bihu for signing an agreement. But it does not give certainty about protecting the political and constitutional rights of our indigenous people. Today’s meeting of the General Council discussed the draft agreement and finalized it after the inclusion of some clauses and exclusion of some others,” Chetia also said.
“We request the Central government for inclusion of two major clauses in the agreement as political and constitutional safeguard were our most important demand,” the ULFA leader said.
“We fought for the protection of the identity of indigenous people against foreigners. And only political right can ensure the safeguard of the interest of the indigenous communities,” he added.
Meanwhile, a statement of the outfit stated the General Council approved the draft agreement which was prepared by the Working Council and Central Executive Council by inclusion and exclusion of some of the clauses.
“The meeting also authorized the central Executive Council to sign the agreement with the Centre and the State government,” the statement read.
The meeting further authorized the Working Council and newly set up centres to prepare a mistake-free list of martyrs, missing and injured persons and to submit it before the general secretary of the outfit.
On October 18, the leaders of the ULFA (Pro-Talk faction) held a meeting in Guwahati with some parents/guardians and announced a list of 31 missing ULFA leaders/cadres in Operation All Clear conducted in 2003.
