The Centre and Assam government will hold a meeting with the leaders of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) to prepare the ground rules for declaration of ceasefire jointly.State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said that with the NDFB declaring unilateral ceasefire, the Centre and the state government would sit together with the insurgent leaders to draft the ground rules for a mutual ceasefire.After meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Gogoi said that he had apprised the PM of the steps taken by his government to deal with insurgency in the state. He said that in view of the unilateral ceasefire announced by NDFB, the state government had instructed the security forces to ‘‘slow down operations’’ against them.The Chief Minister also said that despite ULFA instructing its cadres to attack Congressmen, the state government was not against holding talks with them and wished that they would come forward to the negotiating table without any condition like some other Northeastern insurgent groups. ‘‘Threat from ULFA has always been there and thousands of Congressmen have been killed,’’ he said.He also said noted Assamese litterateur Indira Rgoswami was in the Capital to convey to the PM the views of ULFA on negotiations. Demanding that insurgent camps operating in Myanmar and Bangladesh be flushed out, he said there were some problems from bordering Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland as well.Gogoi said that he had also sought additional security personnel and funds for modernisation of the police force in view of the law and order situation in the state. Referring to the shortage of police force in the state, he said the Centre had given permission to raise four India Reserve B attalions but the central assistance for the purpose was inadequate.
