Indira Goswami, who pulled out of the Peoples’ Consultative Group (PCG) a couple of months back, described the recent massacre by ULFA of innocent Hindi-speaking people in Assam as “unforgivable” but added that the incidents could have been prevented, had the state government been forthcoming in initiating the peace process. “What the ULFA has done cannot be forgiven. The government’s decision to intensify operations can be understood, but there is also the possibility of more innocent lives being lost,” Goswami said, adding that “serious efforts are needed to bring the outfit to talks since there cannot be any alternative to peace.” Goswami said she had a hunch that there would be violence before the National Games scheduled next month. “It was for this reason that I had approached the state government three times saying the peace process should be revived and the five jailed cadres should be released. But they never paid any heed and one of the reasons for this carnage is the ULFA’s view that the Centre has forever closed the door for talks,” she explained. Goswami said the government should equally emphasise exploring the option of a dialogue since a military solution may not be feasible or advisable.
