Home Secretary reviews progress in talks with ULFA

Senior officials of the Union Home Ministry and the Assam Government recently conducted a review of the progress made in peace talks with the pro-talk ULFA leadership.

A delegation of pro-talk ULFA leaders, headed by the group's chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, met Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and other senior officials of the Union Home Ministry and the Assam Government.

The ULFA leaders appealed to the Centre to include recently deported general secretary Anup Chetia in the peace process, saying the dialogue would remain inconclusive without his participation.

The Union Home Secretary asked the Government of India's Representative P.C. Haldar to examine the request of ULFA leaders.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said the Centre is expecting a breakthrough in the ongoing talks with the ULFA soon.

"We are in talks with different groups and ULFA is one of them. We are in the process of talks with ULFA and we hope for its early solution," said Rijiju.

"The agencies are investigating and once the process is over then we will see what to do," he added while commenting on Chetia.

ULFA leader Shashadhar Choudhury said the next round of talks with the Central Government will be held next month in which Chetia is expected to take part.

"We met Home Secretary and officials from the Government of Assam and we requested to include our general secretary Anup Chetia in future talks. We offered our appreciation to the Government of India and the Assam Government in accordance with our grievance that we have been demanding since beginning. Today we have not discussed anything political because our general secretary is not present in the meeting," he said.

Chetia, who was arrested upon his deportation from Bangladesh about a fortnight ago, is currently in a jail in Guwahati.

The Rajkhowa-led ULFA faction had begun unconditional talks with the Centre in 2011 despite strong opposition from the hardline wing led by Paresh Baruah, who is believed to be in Myanmar.

Among other issues, ULFA's charter of demands includes recognition of six communities in Assam as Scheduled Tribes. The Home Ministry has supported the demand and is likely to table the Bill in the Parliament.