People defy ULFA to hear pro-talks leaders

A large number of people participated on Tuesday in a public meeting organised at Kakopathar in eastern Assam's Tinsukia district by the pro-talks United Liberation Front of Asom  leaders from 'the A ' and 'C' companies of the outfit's 28 th battalion defying diktat from the hawkish top leadership of the ULFA.

Police sources said that over 3000 people gathered at the community hall in Kakopathar to hear the pro-talks ULFA leaders Mrinal Hazarika, Jiten Dutta and Joon Sonowal who have been on a mission to mobilise public opinion in favour of unconditional peace talks between the ULFA leadership and the Indian government to restore peace in Assam.

The ULFA rebels have embarked on the mission after calling a unilateral truce with the government defying the diktat of the top leadership of the ULFA who have announced the outfit's decision expel the pro-talks leaders from the primary membership of the outfit with immediate effect from Monday for embarking on an 'unauthorised' overture to facilitate peace talks with the 'colonial Indian government'.

However, unfazed by the stern action taken against them by the ULFA leadership, the three pro-talks leaders on Tuesday addressed the public meeting at Kakopathar, a known ULFA bastion, calling upon the people to mount pressure on both the ULFA top leadership and Indian government to agree for direct and unconditional talks.

The expulsion slapped on them by the ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa seemed to have no impact on the three pro-talks leaders who have expressed their determination to accomplish the mission they have embarked upon irrespective of consequences they have to face for it.

"We are in the midst of receiving feed back from the people and our mission will end only after informing our central leadership. If after that our leaders want to hand us even the death penalty, we will accept it," pro-talks leader Jiten Dutta told media-persons in Guwahati.