Enough’s enough, time ULFA gave up sovereignty demand: Civil society groups

Enough is enough. Secession from India is an “unfounded concept” and thus be abandoned.

Enough is enough. Secession from India is an “unfounded concept” and thus be abandoned. This is what a two-day convention of various civil society groups, student leaders and leading citizens have told in clear terms to the ULFA and other such groups.

The convention organised by the Asam Sahitya Sabha that ended yesterday has appealed to the ULFA (without naming it though) and all other armed outfits to give up their “unfounded concept” of seceding from India and come to a settlement within a fixed time frame. It was attended by over 40 leading intellectuals, economists and other opinion leaders apart from leaders of the All Assam Students’ Union and other organisations.

“Culturally Assam has always been an integral part of India. Therefore, the convention urges the rebel organisations to give up their unfounded concept of secession from India and sit for an unconditional dialogue to get their demands fulfilled,” the resolution said.

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The Maha Sanmelan asked the Government and the militant groups to sit for unconditional discussions in order to pull down the curtains on insurgency and other violent movements once and for all and said a time frame should be fixed within which all the issues could be resolved.

It also proposed that the extremist outfits be given safe passage for a definite period in order to help them come for negotiations without any precondition. “But stern legal actions should be initiated in case the outfits fail to respond positively in order to restore peace,” the resolution said.

“Indulging in murders, extortion and other kinds of illegal activities by over a dozen armed groups seeking separate homelands has created hurdles in the economic development of Assam and the Northeastern region apart from causing a negative impact on the younger generation,” the sanmelan observed.

It also asked the Government to deal firmly and take steps under the law against any act of violence, extortion and other such acts so that citizens could live without fear. The sanmelan also expressed displeasure over the State Government’s alleged failure to play its role sincerely in containing insurgency and urged the Government not to confine itself to mere issuing of statements. “It is the bounden duty of the Government to create a conducive atmosphere,” it said.

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Individual organisations, however, have been opposing ULFA’s demand for a ‘sovereign’ state for several years now. But this is the first time that such a convention was held in the state that has been ravaged by armed insurgency for over 27 years now. The AASU and the Asam Sahitya Sabha have been at loggerheads with the ULFA for several years now, and the coming together of these two organisations can mean a turning point for the state.