Pro-talk ULFA threatens to pull out from peace talks with Centre

Pro-talk ULFA leader Mrinal Hazarika said the ongoing peace talks with the government is likely to be discontinued if the Citizenship Amendment Bill is passed.

Hazarika said if the Union government moved ahead with the bill, then the ongoing peace talks would be impacted.

“We have opposed the bill from beginning and raised the issue on table during discussion with the government. The issue also raised in our organisation platform. If the bill is passed, then the ongoing process will become valueless, the talks will be redundant,” Mrinal Hazarika said.

The Pro-talk ULFA leader further said: "When the government has taken first step to bring this bill, we have raised the issue against the bill."

“The ULFA leaders had raised the issue on table by submitting memorandum. We had also opposed the bill before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) when the committee visited Assam. But the present BJP government is adamant that, they will pass the bill at any cost. The bill is already passed in Lok Sabha. We will see, what will happen in Rajya Sabha. Whatever they are trying, it will definitely impact in the ongoing peace process. We have also discussed the issue in our organisation platform and we think that, the entire process will become meaningless, if the bill is passed,” Mrinal Hazarika said.

It is to be mentioned that, the peace process between the ULFA’s pro-talk faction and the centre was started in 2011.

Last meeting between the Union home minister and the ULFA’s pro-talk faction was held in 2015.

On the other hand, the Pro-talk ULFA leader said that, the youths of Assam will again take up arms in hand to fight to protect their identity.

“If the government not showing their attention to the democratic movement, agitations of the people of Assam, then what is the other option and definitely it will arms struggle. Some youths had already joined ULFA (Independent) and more youths will join the outfit. If the bill is passed then another situation will come up,” Mrinal Hazarika said.

Mrinal Hazarika further said that, they will mobilise the people of Assam against India, when the identity of the indigenous people of the state has already destroyed.

“More youths will take up arms to protect the identity of the indigenous people. The situation like to go 90’s again. If the situation will go worse, then the government will be responsible for it,” the Pro-talk ULFA leader said.

Massive protests are going on in Assam and other states of the north eastern region against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016, which is aimed to grant Indian citizenship to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan has been passed in Lok Sabha.

The Meghalaya government has passed a resolution in the state assembly against the bill and the BJP-led Manipur government has urged the Centre to exempt the state from the legislation.

(Reporting by Hemnta Kumar Nath)

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