Struggle & negotiations will go on, says ULFA

The United Liberation Front of Assam on Wednesday stated that it still firmly believed that peace could be restored in the state only through a political solution to the 'India-Assam conflict' and vowed to continue with its struggle while continuing its parallel effort to facilitate talks with government of India through the People's Consultative Group.
 
The ULFA stated that the overwhelming response of the people of Assam to the 12-hour state-wide bandh called by the outfit on Tuesday reflected the aspirations of the people of state for a political solution to the 'India-Assam conflict' and their demand for right to live with dignity and democratic rights.

In a statement e-mailed to the media, ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa said the people of Assam should be prepared to carry out more difficult agitational programmes in future if the 'Indian occupational force' continued with its repressive

design to annihilate people's effort for a peaceful political solution to the conflict.

Making it clear that the outfit would continue with its struggle, the ULFA leader said, "Negotiation may be part of revolution but cannot be alternative to revolution."

He clarified that the ULFA had not capped its efforts to find a 'peaceful political solution' to the conflict and hence had not dismantled the People's Consultative Group that was constituted by it to facilitate direct talks with government of India.

"It is the government of India that has ignored the PCG and even arrested PCG members in fake charges to crush the efforts to find a peaceful political solution to the problem. In such a situation there is no alternative but to intensify the struggle. And intensification of struggle doesn't necessarily means withdrawing the on-going efforts for a peaceful political solution," the ULFA chairman said.