NEW DELHI, March 4 � The Centre has yet again clarified that it has not received any formal request for peace dialogues so far at the organizational level from the ULFA.
The Government of India has always shown its willingness to enter into dialogue with any group, which is willing to abjure the path of violence and place its demand within the framework of the Constitution of India, said Minister of State for Home Affairs in reply to a Rajya Sabha question.
The reply assumes significance in view of reports of the Government initiating back channel moves to open dialogue with the detained leaders of ULFA including chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, Raju Barua, Sasaha Choudhury, amongst others.
The State Government has recently facilitated the release of vice-chairman Pradip Gogoi and Mithinga Daimary, besides shifting the outfit�s ideologue Bhimkanta Buragohain to Guwahati Jail.
Sources in the Home Ministry has disclosed that at least one round of meeting between top officials and the ULFA leaders were held in the jail premises. The ULFA leaders have been advised to draft its charter of demands, sources added.
Recently, Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi had told newsmen here that the government wants the jailed leaders to first work out the modalities for negotiations before the actual negotiations get under way.
Despite positive signals, the government is wary of releasing all the leaders from jail at one go and, instead, is adopting a wait and watch approach.
Meanwhile, the Minister today claimed that Rajkhowa, Raju Baruah and others were apprehended by the Border Security Force (BSF) in Shillong sector in the intervening night of December 3-4. They were handed over to Assam Police, he added.
