Sovereignty of Assam will never be compromised, says Ulfa (I) Chief Paresh Asom

Guwahati: A day after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma delved on the need for finding a middle path between the Ulfa (I)'s demand for 'discussion on sovereignty' and ambit of the Indian Constitution, Ulfa faction's chief Paresh Baruah alias Paresh Asom said that he is not for compromising the sovereignty of Assam in the years to come.

Baruah sent a letter to the media on Thursday saying that 'the 42 years struggle for independence is still continuing to restore Asom to its former glory...the sovereignty of Asom will never be compromised in the years to come'.

The Assam Chief Minister while talking to media welcomed the Ulfa (Independent) faction's move to extend the unilateral ceasefire and said that the peace talks with the Ulfa faction must be taken forward by striking a right balance between the faction's demand for a discussion on sovereignty and the ambit of Constitution of India.

The Chief Minister has hailed Ulfa's extension of the ceasefire as a positive step and said that at some point the core issue must be deliberated upon to strike the right balance for finding a solution. He said that the 'middle ground' should be respectable for the Ulfa (I) as well as for the government.

"I would like the Indian people to know that historically Asom was never a part of India. Asom was a nation beaming with pride and sovereignty, which was later colonized by foreign invaders. This is a legitimate and historically correct fact which needs to be brought into the limelight," the Ulfa faction's Chief said in his letter sent to media on Thursday.

It may be mentioned here that Ulfa (I)'s demand for 'discussion on sovereignty has been a bottleneck in the proposed talks with the outfit for the last several years. Whlile the Ulfa faction was determined on inclusion of discussion of sovereignty in the proposed talks the government of India had in the past made it clear that 'sovereignty cannot be discussed under the ambit of the Indian constitution--which has delayed the talks with the faction.

However, in a positive gesture, Himanta Biswa Sarma after assuming the charge as the state's Chief Minister earlier this year appealed to the Ulfa faction to come to negotiating table and was responded positively by the Ulfa faction.