Guwahati: The ruling Congress on Sunday said the
party is not scared by any threat from Paresh Baruah faction
of ULFA and announced the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and other important
Congress leaders to the state to canvass for party leaders in
the coming assembly election.
"The Congress is not scared by any threat. If Paresh
Baruah (ULFA commander-in-chief) thinks he can scare the party
he is wrong," party`s election in-charge and AICC general
secretary Digvijay Singh told reporters here.
Denying that Manmohan Singh had cancelled his tomorrow`s
election tour to the state following the ULFA bandh, the
Congress general secretary said there were certain important
last-minute engagements of the prime minister for which he
could not come tomorrow.
The prime minister will now visit the state on April two
where he will campaign for party candidates in Lakhimpur
district`s Dhakuakana and Sonitpur district`s Tezpur and on
April seven he will hold election rallies in Barpeta and
Nagaon, he said.
The Paresh Barua-led faction of the ULFA which had
called for a 12-hour Assam tomorrow called it off after
the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rescheduled his visit to
Assam.
Bandh would, however, be observed on whichever day the
prime minister or any other representative of the Union
government visits the state in the future, the Paresh Baruah
faction said in an email.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is also scheduled to hold
election meetings in Karimganj, Bokajan and another place
which was yet to be decided on March 31, Singh said.
During the second phase of the election, the Congress
president will address election meetings in Dhubri and
Guwahati, the dates of which will be announced soon.
While AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi`s programme
have not been fixed as he had suffered a fracture in the leg,
senior party leader and Union Finance minister Pranab
Mukherjee is scheduled to address election meeting in Barak
valley and upper Assam from March 29.
Other senior leaders including Salmaan Khursheed are
also scheduled to visit the state, Singh said.
Urging Paresh Baruah to follow in the foot-steps of ULFA
chairman Rajkhowa and come forward for talks, the
AICC leader said violence was not good and peace should
prevail.
"The Congress has fought terrorism and even lost top
leaders and former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv
Gandhi at the hands of the ultras. But we have never
compromised with the militants", he said.
PTI
