NEW DELHI, July 2 � Dr Hiren Gohain may have claimed that Union Home Minister P Chidambaram was wrongly quoted by the media on release of the detained ULFA leaders, but North Block today declined to confirm the statement made by chief convenor of Sanmilita Jatiya Abhibartan (SJA).
This newspaper is quoting what Chidambaram had said on Wednesday�s monthly press conference in response to a question on how the ULFA leaders could possibly participate in talk, when they are behind bars.
�Why, people in jail can also talk. People in jail can also talk to the government. That is for the Government of Assam to decide and for the ULFA leaders to decide. We have told the Government of Assam that it is for them to decide when and in what manner talks will start,� the Union Home Minister had said.
Earlier, when he was asked about the progress in the peace talks with ULFA, Chidambaram said, �No, we have authorised Chief Minister of Assam to decide when and in what manner talks will commence with ULFA.�
Earlier on, replying to a question over the meeting by members of a civil society group seeking release of the jailed ULFA leaders to pave the way for talks, Chidambaram clarified that they (ULFA leaders) are in judicial custody and the executive cannot release anybody in judicial custody.
However, Dr Gohain said that according to his information, the Union Home Minister had stated in the press conference that the Government would have to wait for the court�s decision on the release of the detained ULFA leaders. He (Chidambaram) did never say that the talks should be held with the detained leaders behind the bars, it was claimed by the SJA chief convenor.
Sources in the MHA, when contacted refused to say anything beyond what the Union Home Minister had said while presenting the monthly report card for the month of June.
At the press conference, which was also attended by a number of scribes from Assam, the Union Home Minister never stated that the government would have to wait for court�s order before talks could be held.
This newspaper has also never attributed Chidambaram of saying that talks could be held with the leaders in jail. All he had said that people in jail can also talk to the government.
