GUWAHATI: Peace talks with ULFA-I will not be possible unless the leader of the outfit Paresh Baruah abandons his demand of sovereignty.
This was stated by chief minister of Assam – Himanta Biswa Sarma.
“Sitting for peace talks with ULFA-I is not an issue. But bringing the outfit to the talks table is the hardest part,” Assam CM Himanta biswa Sarma said.
He said: “Till the time Paresh Baruah keeps on demanding sovereignty, any kind of peace talks with ULFA-I is not possible.”
“The demand for sovereignty by ULFA-I is the bone of contention,” the Assam chief minister said.
He further informed that channels of communications with the ULFA-I is open and the Assam government is taking all possible step to resolve the matter.
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“People of Assam have a larger role to play in resolving the decades-old ULFA insurgency problem,” said CM Sarma.
Notably, ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah, time and again, has been stressing on the outfit’s demand for sovereignty.
The ULFA-I, on many occasions, stated that for peace talks to be initiated, the sovereignty issue must be on the agenda.