Guwahati: Arrest of ULFA 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa may have triggered hopes for talks to settle Assam's vexed insurgency problem but both experts and members of the group maintain that without 'commander-in-chief' Paresh Barua there can be no lasting solution.
"Paresh Barua is someone who cannot be ignored altogether. If the government is planning to go ahead with talks by involving the 'chairman', then it is a big mistake," said noted litterateur and former facilitator for peace talks Indira Goswami.
"The government may have its reasons, but the person
controlling the cadres and cash cannot be ignored. All said
and done, peace talks without Barua will be futile and
counter-productive," the former Delhi University professor
said.
Former state police chief Harekrishna Deka said
Rajkhowa's detention may have paved the way for a dialogue
between the group and the Centre but if Barua is out of the
process, then there will be no end to violence in the state.
"Barua will go all out to create disturbances in the
state as he still has his group of followers and he will be
desperate to prove the group's strength," he said.
ULFA's arrested 'vice chairman' Pradip Gogoi also
asserted that both Rajkhowa and Barua must be present for
talks.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, December 05, 2009, 18:14