GUWAHATI, June 14 � The former members of the militant outfit ULFA today warned that if the State Government fails to meet their demands on rehabilitation packages and withdrawal of the TADA cases within a month�s time, they will go for a Statewide �militant democratic� agitation. The former ULFA members, who have returned to the mainstream of society either by surrendering or without surrendering before the authorities, number around 14,000.
Sadou Asam Prakton ULFA Samannayrakshi Sommitee president Prasanta Deka, its general secretary Rajen Medhi, working president Dhananjoy Rabha and vice-president Anirban Gohain alleged at a press conference here that about 7,642 of the members of their organization are yet to get the benefit of the rehabilitation package offered by the Government to the former militants.
Since 1996, the Government has not provided the former ULFA members any monetary assistance in the form of rehabilitation package. The monthly allowances provided to some of them for a year or so at the rate of Rs 2,000 (for Grade-A) and Rs 1,500 (for Grade-B) have also been stopped.
The State Government is also maintaining a discriminatory attitude towards the former ULFA members. The Government is generously offering rehabilitation benefits to the former Bodoland Liberation Tigers (BLT), Bengali Tiger Force (BTF), National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF). But it is apathetic to the former ULFA members, who have come back to the mainstream of society, in this respect, they alleged.
The failure of the Government to withdraw the TADA cases against the former ULFA members has created a very desperate situation for these former ULFA members and some of them have even committed suicide due to the frustration caused by obligations of their shuttling between their native places and the court, alleged the Sommittee leaders.
The Government has repeatedly assured that the cases against the former ULFA members would be withdrawn. But it has failed to keep this commitment.
On the issue of negotiation between the Government and ULFA, they said that the Centre should step in directly in the process as it has done in the case of the NSCN (IM). The Centre should also announce that all the factors that led to the ULFA insurgency would be taken up during the discussion and the ULFA central committee leaders should be allowed to hold their general council meeting for the purpose of taking part in the negotiation process, said the Sommittee members.
However, any attempt at resolving the ULFA insurgency issue through negotiation should result in acknowledging the rights and privileges of the indigenous peoples of the State, they asserted.
