Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has slammed the Times of India for publishing fake news that claimed that the Assam government is ready to hold talks with Ulfa (I) terrorists and discuss their core issues including demand for sovereignty.
Sarma shared the photograph of a news report published in the Times of India, saying that he is aghast to see such claims attributed to him.
I am aghast to see this news in @timesofindia. No Chief Minister can discuss Sovereignty of India with any one. This is non-negotiable. We all Indians, irrespective of our positions, are here to protect the sovereignty of India. I strongly refute the news report. This is FALSE. pic.twitter.com/LUjgeRr2ij
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 18, 2021
“No Chief Minister can discuss sovereignty of India with anyone. This is non-negotiable. We all Indians, irrespective of our positions, are here to protect the sovereignty of India. I strongly refute the news report. This is FALSE”, Sarma tweeted on Thursday, 18 November.
The report in Times of India claimed that Himanta Biswa Sarma has stated on Wednesday that Ulfa (I)’s core demand of sovereignty has to be addressed along the way.
The report further went on to add that since the inception of undivided Ulfa in 1979, no CM had ever come close to acknowledging the core demand of sovereignty for a dialogue. It added that former PM Manmohan Singh had once stated that the centre was ready to discuss ‘core issues’.
The report further stated that soon after taking office, CM Sarma had stated that dealing with Ulfa ‘needed a fresh approach and had added that “an equilibrium has to be created between the perimeters of the constitution and the outfit’s demand for sovereignty and their core issues will have to be discussed at some point of time.”
In September, Sarma had stated that he had spoken with HM Amit Shah and had obtained permission to speak to Ulfa chief Paresh Barua to initiate a peace dialogue. He had clarified further that it was at initial levels and no conclusions should be drawn from it. He had also added that the Home Ministry has told him that any communication with Ulfa has to be a structured dialogue.
It is notable here that the peace process with several insurgent groups has been negotiated successfully in Assam in the last couple of years. In January 2020, Home Minister Amit Shah had secured a peace agreement with Bodo groups. Subsequently, over 1600 cadres from all four factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) had surrendered their weapons and were welcomed back into the society in a historic event.
In September this year, six insurgent groups had signed the Karbi Peace Accord with the centre, bringing an end to decades of violence and unrest in the Karbi-Anglong region.
