Pradeep Gogoi hopes peace process will speed up

Guwahati: ULFA (pro-talk faction) "vice- chairman" Pradeep Gogoi on Wednesday hoped Anup Chetia's hand-over by Bangladesh to India would help speed up the peace process and in finding a lasting solution to the nearly 30-year old insurgency problem in Assam.

"Chetia's return will help the peace process. We are hopeful he will render help in the peace process. When we meet one to one, we can discuss about the peace talks and how to take it forward," Gogoi told the media.

"We (ULFA) and the people of the state had hoped he would be sent back to India. All are happy that he has come back", the ULFA leader, who after his release from jail became a part of the top ULFA leadership which is holding peace talks with the Central government.

Another ULFA top brass and its elite strike force "28th Battalion"'s former 'commander' Mrinal Hazarika also hoped Chetia would be a part of the peace process.

Hazarika, who had secured 28th Battalion's A and C companies to declare ceasefire soon after his release from jail in June, 2008 was hopeful his colleague would come forward for holding discussion with the government.

ULFA "chairman" Arabinda Rajkhowa, "vice chairman" Pradip Gogoi, "finance secretary" Chitrabon Hazarika, "foreign secretary" Sashadhar Choudhury, "central publicity secretary" Mithinga Daimary, "cultural secretary" Pranati Deka among its other top leaders have been part of the peace talks since 2012.