Guwahati/Kokrajhar, May 2: Dispur today warned New Delhi that if it accepted the National Democratic Front of Boroland’s memorandum demanding “liberation of Bodoland” to start a dialogue with the outfit, it would strengthen Ulfa’s argument to sit for talks only if sovereignty was discussed.
The Centre had all along been saying that talks with the NDFB could not begin despite a three-year truce because the outfit had not submitted its charter of demands. The NDFB submitted its memorandum yesterday.
Sources said if the Centre now started talks with the NDFB on the basis of this memorandum, then there was no reason why it could not initiate a dialogue with Ulfa, which also has been asking for its main demand sovereignty to be put on the agenda.
Like the NDFB, Ulfa, too, has been waging an armed struggle for the liberation of Assam. The banned outfit said it would sit for negotiations with the government only if its demand for sovereignty was discussed in the talks, a condition that has been rejected by the government.
Writer and peace activist Mamoni Raisom Goswami has also been asking the government to at least start the negotiations with Ulfa as merely discussing the issue will not mean giving sovereignty to Assam.
All peace efforts initiated so far have come to nought on this sticky point.
The NDFB entered into a ceasefire with Delhi and Dispur on May 24 and formal truce got under way from June 1, 2005.
The group has since been holding meetings with leaders of Bodo and other communities to convince and extend support to the peace talks.
NDFB information and publicity secretary S. Sanjarang confirmed placing the outfit’s demand in a memorandum before the Centre and was now awaiting Delhi’s response.
At yesterday’s meeting, NDFB was represented by its general secretary Gobinda Basumatary, speaker Sunil Basumatary, S. Sanjarang, deputy commander-in-chief B. Olongbar and I. Dominic.
The Centre had all along been saying that talks with the NDFB could not begin despite a three-year truce because the outfit had not submitted its charter of demands. The NDFB submitted its memorandum yesterday.
Sources said if the Centre now started talks with the NDFB on the basis of this memorandum, then there was no reason why it could not initiate a dialogue with Ulfa, which also has been asking for its main demand sovereignty to be put on the agenda.
Like the NDFB, Ulfa, too, has been waging an armed struggle for the liberation of Assam. The banned outfit said it would sit for negotiations with the government only if its demand for sovereignty was discussed in the talks, a condition that has been rejected by the government.
Writer and peace activist Mamoni Raisom Goswami has also been asking the government to at least start the negotiations with Ulfa as merely discussing the issue will not mean giving sovereignty to Assam.
All peace efforts initiated so far have come to nought on this sticky point.
The NDFB entered into a ceasefire with Delhi and Dispur on May 24 and formal truce got under way from June 1, 2005.
The group has since been holding meetings with leaders of Bodo and other communities to convince and extend support to the peace talks.
NDFB information and publicity secretary S. Sanjarang confirmed placing the outfit’s demand in a memorandum before the Centre and was now awaiting Delhi’s response.
At yesterday’s meeting, NDFB was represented by its general secretary Gobinda Basumatary, speaker Sunil Basumatary, S. Sanjarang, deputy commander-in-chief B. Olongbar and I. Dominic.
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