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ULFA must respond positively

It is too early to tell if the talks between the Centre and the emissaries of the United Liberation Front of Asom — known collectively as the People's Consultative Group — can lead to a durable peace and an end to the troubles in Assam once and for all. The apparently amicable atmosphere in which the talks took place on October 26 certainly provides some encouragement. But it should be kept in mind that the 11-member PCG is not ULFA. The PCG is made up of eminent people from the State handpicked by ULFA to make representations on its behalf for peace talks with the Centre. Still, it is not clear how much this group of civil society representatives speaks for the militant group, or how much influence it wields over it. According to reports, the PCG put forward the ULFA condition of including its demand for sovereignty on the agenda in future peace talks. For its part, the Centre has done well to make it known that it does not see the demand for sovereignty as an obstacle to peace talks with the banned group, at the same time underlining that it can hardly be expected to address the demand seriously. This was the polite but firm import of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement at the talks that he is willing to discuss "all issues" but that he is "a servant of the Constitution". Sovereignty is ULFA's core demand, so the ball is now in its court. If it is at all sincere about a negotiated political settlement, then it must respond positively to the Prime Minister's offer and seize this opportunity for dialogue with the Centre.

There is no doubt that the Centre followed a policy of studied neglect towards Assam and the rest of the North-East for long and that the resulting alienation was the main reason behind the growth of secessionist militant movements such as ULFA. While the violence was intended to highlight the discrimination initially, the people clearly want no more of it. As ULFA crafts its response to the Centre, it is this that the group must keep in mind. The vicious terror that ULFA has unleashed in Assam is increasingly perceived as self-serving and has lost the group considerable support in the State. True, there were several public demonstrations across the State recently demanding that the Army call off operations against ULFA cadres in the interests of the peace process. But more than a sudden surge in sympathy for ULFA, and even discounting for some stage management, these demonstrations indicated a hunger for peace in Assam. With the Centre relenting to public demand and scaling down military operations against ULFA, the people of Assam have equally high expectations of the militant group. The positive statements by both the Centre and the PCG after their talks have fuelled these expectations. The two sides are expected to meet again next month. It is now to be hoped that instead of working through emissaries, the Centre and ULFA will be able to begin direct talks as soon as possible.

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