GUWAHATI, Jan 23 - Formal talks between the Government of India and National Democratic Front of Boroland(S) will start soon and the Centre has made it clear that the territorial integrity of Assam would not be touched.
Highly placed sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told The Assam Tribune that three factions of the NDFB led by Ranjan Daimary, Govinda Basumatary and Dhiren Boro are already talking with the Government of India and the NDFB(S) will join the peace process within the next few days.
It may be mentioned here that a number of leaders and cadres of the NDFB(S) headed by its chairman B Saoraigwra crossed over to India from their bases in Myanmar on January 11 to join the peace process and signed a suspension of operations agreement with the State and Central governments. Later, two other senior leaders of the outfit, G Bidai and Batha also expressed their desire to join the peace process and they were brought to Guwahati from Kokrajhar this morning. All the leaders of the NDFB(S) were taken to Delhi this afternoon so that the formal talks can begin.
Sources said that the leaders of the NDFB(S) are keen that they should be treated as a separate entity and not clubbed with the other three factions of the NDFB, which are already talking with the Government. That is why, the Government has decided to start talking with the leaders of the outfit separately.
Sources said that the Centre is keen on having a �composite agreement� for solution of the Bodo political problems with involvement of all the stakeholders.
In addition to the militant outfits, the Government is keen that other social organizations including the All Bodo Students� Union (ABSU) joins the process for finding permanent acceptable solution to the political problems.
Though MHA sources did not spell out what would be offered to the militant groups as a part of the political solution, they asserted that the reports of creation of a union territory were baseless. There is no question of affecting the territorial integrity of Assam, sources asserted.
