The Hindu : National : ULFA links: Gogoi throws a challenge

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 19, 2007
ePaper

National

National

ULFA links: Gogoi throws a challenge

Sushanta Talukdar

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday offered to quit politics if his links with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) could be proved.

Denying such allegations against him and the Congress party, Mr. Gogoi declared: “I challenge that if anybody can prove my links with ULFA, even if by a Supreme Court Judge, I will quit politics.”

He said that a Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP had made “false, baseless allegations” in Parliament. “If the Congress party had links with ULFA, then why were Congressmen the main targets of ULFA?”

He said that as many as 102 Congress leaders were killed by the militants in the State since 1985. The figures for the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bharatiya Janata Party were 21 and five.

Mr. Gogoi also claimed that his Government had performed better in curbing ULFA activities than the AGP Government. He also expressed satisfaction that more and more people were coming out openly against the ULFA and other insurgent groups.

The ULFA had changed its tactics and was attacking soft targets, including women and children, instead of security forces, he said. “I do not understand how the ULFA will achieve their objectives by killing such innocent poor people who have nothing against ULFA or KLNLF [Karbi Longri National Liberation Front].”

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National