The Hindu : National : Gogoi welcomes NDFB offer

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 10, 2004

National

National

Gogoi welcomes NDFB offer

By Sushanta Talukdar

GUWAHATI, OCT. 9. The Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, today welcomed the unilateral ceasefire declared by the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).

The NDFB yesterday declared a ceasefire for a period of six months with effect from October 15 in response to a ceasefire offer made by Mr. Gogoi.

Positive development

Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, Mr. Gogoi described the NDFB response as "a positive development and a step in the right direction."

The Chief Minister, however, said the State Government was yet to receive a communiqué from the militant outfit. The Government would take reciprocal action once it received a formal communiqué from the NDFB.

In a statement e-mailed to newspaper houses last night, the NDFB president, D.R. Nabla alias Ranjan Daimari, and the chief of army staff, Bodoland army, the armed wing of the outfit, the self-styled Lt. Col. B. Susranggra said the move would create a congenial atmosphere for talks with the Centre. The statement issued in the name of these two leaders asked all the commanders of the Bodoland Army to immediately "suspend hostilities against India."

Mr. Gogoi expressed the hope that the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) would also come forward for peace talks.

Political solution

"We are looking forward to the day when we would arrive at a political solution to the insurgency problem through negotiation with all the militant outfits including the ULFA," Mr. Gogoi added.

Over the past 13 years, insurgency and counter-insurgency operations in the State has claimed lives of 3,000 civilians, 2,000 extremists, and 769 security personnel while 1,281 people were kidnapped. During this period 12,391 militants surrendered.

The Chief Minister on September 30 had said that the state government was ready to declare a month-long ceasefire with the ULFA and the NDFB from October 16 next if the outfits responded positively to the offer within 15 days. However, the ULFA had turned down the offer. Mr. Gogoi told reporters that his Government would cease all its operations against the outfits if they stopped their subversive activities and responded to the Government gesture. The grounds for the ceasefire would be prepared in the next 15 days if the outfit responded directly or through its mediators, Mr. Gogoi said.

The NDFB's ceasefire offer came after a series of bomb blasts and incidents of indiscriminate firing since October 2. Police suspected that the blasts and attacks were the handiwork of suspected NDFB and ULFA rebels.

Rehabilitation

Mr. Gogoi said that his Government would press for a comprehensive scheme for rehabilitation of surrendered rebels. The Centre had cleared recruitment of 1,000 cadres of the Bodo Liberation Tigers.

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