• Do you feel the atmosphere is conducive for holding talks with the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) in the light of the recent blasts?Dhrubajyoti SarmaYes, I do feel it is conducive to hold talks with the NDFB. The group has expressed its desire to talk and has announced a ceasefire from October 15. We are giving top priority to finding solutions to insurgency. Most of the outfits, barring ULFA, have come forward to talk. Even ULFA has reportedly expressed willingness to find a solution through talks.• There are reports about some of your ministers having links with ULFA.Rupjyoti MahantaThis is a totally baseless allegation. I have already said that the charges have not been substantiated. What is of concern is that all my ministers are under threat from ULFA. Health minister Bhumidhar Barman has survived three attempts on his life.• How strong is ULFA? Why is it not responding to the offer for talks?ULFA’s support base has gone down like never before in the past three years. The Dhemaji blast, in which 13 children were killed, has further dwindled the outfit’s support base. Common people do not support ULFA any more. Today people catch hold of ULFA militants, beat them up and hand them over to the police. We have been appealing to ULFA to come for talks. But while all other militant groups have responded, ULFA has not. It is up to them now to respond. I hope they will soon realise and respond to our peace overtures.• You have always said that unemployment is responsible for the rise of ULFA, NDFB and other outfits. How many jobs has your government created in the past three years? How many industries have been set up? How many have closed down in the same period?Raj Kumar SharmaUnemployment is a countrywide problem. In Assam we are laying maximum stress on creating self-employment opportunities. Over 82,000 self-help groups (SHGs) have come up in Assam in three years. This means over eight lakh families are getting benefits. We are providing Rs 10,000 each to 1.25 lakh educated unemployed youth under the Kalpataru scheme, to set up small units. Though scope for government jobs has become lesser, we have created a few thousand jobs for primary schoolteachers and in the social welfare department. About 10,000 persons will soon be recruited in the state police. Universities have been asked to introduce new subjects and courses keeping pace with changing times. On the industrial front, 8,118 small-scale industries have registered since we took over, while 30 medium-scale units have already taken off. Around 35,000 persons have been absorbed by these new units. While no state PSU has been closed down, we have revived four sick units. Five state PSUs, including Assam Gas Company and Assam Petrochemicals Ltd, have registered profit.• How big is the problem of infiltration? Going by articles written by Arun Shourie in The Indian Express, the problem is huge.Vishal ParanjpeInfiltration has been there, but not as alarming as some quarters want to project. Influx has been a continuous problem for decades. We have asked the Centre to construct Punjab-type fence along the Indo-Bangla border. We also want more BSF deployment and more BSF outposts along the border. We have also asked the Centre to issue I-cards to the people. As far as Muslim population is concerned, I am sure there has been no abnormal increase in Assam. It is true that there was an abnormal growth before 1971, but the population growth rate in Assam in the past three decades has been less than the national average.• You keep talking about the law and order situation improving in Assam. Why has not a single big investor come to the state despite your tall claims?D K BhuyanThe law and order situation has definitely improved in the past three years. And that is why more investors are coming to Assam. Hindustan Lever Ltd has set up a huge plant of personal products. A British company has tied up with a local entrepreneur to launch a luxury cruise on the Brahmaputra. Tatas are looking towards setting up a five-star hotel in Guwahati. Horlicks, Godrej, Revlon, Emami, Jyothi Laboratories etc have all set up factories in Assam.• Your government has failed on all fronts, whether it is insurgency, floods, economic development or even the standard of living?MalayWho says my government has failed on all fronts? The law and order situation has improved. Government employees are not only getting salary on time but have also got a dearness allowance hike of 18 per cent. Economic development has picked up. Tourist inflow has gone up by 10 lakh in comparison to the previous government’s tenure. More flights are operating in and out of Assam. Land and property prices have gone up. Hundreds of schools and colleges are given financial assistance by the government. Several hundred schools have been provided computers. Aren’t these key parameters of development?• Is it true that your government is trying to settle large number of Bangladeshi infiltrators on forest land and riverine areas in Assam?Dipanjal HazarikaWhy would a government want to settle infiltrators in forest land in the first place? We are against letting people encroach on forests, hills and other government land. It is a fact that there are all types of people among encroachers. Landless people, flood-affected people, displaced people—these are the people who have no way out. But we are determined not to allow encroachment on forests and flood-plains. A large number of people have been evicted in the past three years.• Local candidates of Assam are being deprived of jobs in central government departments, including the Railways. What steps are you taking to stop this?Imran HussainWe have taken up the issue of jobs for local candidates with the Central Government and the Railway Ministry. I am for 100 per cent jobs for local people in Class III and Class IV categories. There was a central government policy to this effect. Most other central PSUs in Assam do recruit local people in these categories. I have requested the Railway Ministry to do the same.• You have declared your willingness to seek help from the FBI in probing the blasts which rocked Assam recently. Are you not doubting CBI’s capability?Nahid ParvinI have never sought any US or FBI help. It was a routine courtesy letter by the US ambassador, in which he offered to provide technical support in investigations. The US ambassador has written similar letters to the Nagaland government as well as the Union Home Ministry. I have not tried to undermine the credibility of the CBI and other agencies.
