Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said the government wants to restore peace in Assam and hoped that good reason prevails upon the outlawed ULFA to end the decades-long insurgency problem in the State.
On talks with the ULFA, which received a major setback last year with four of its top leaders arrested in Bangladesh, he said “Though we tried to bring them (ULFA) to the negotiation table in 2006, they backed out. I hope this time good reason prevails.”
“If Assam becomes peaceful, nothing can stop it from making rapid progress as the state has tremendous potential in all spheres,” a statement by Guwahati-based Nanda Talukdar Foundation quoted the Prime Minister as saying.
Dr. Singh, who was presented with a copy of the foundation’s coffee table book highlighting the heritage of Assam, said, “We are also in touch with our neighbours so that insurgents from the northeast do not get shelter in their territories.”
Dr. Singh said his government was trying to restore the pre-Partition connectivity and logistics that were available to Assam and northeast through negotiations with Bangladesh.
Keywords: Manmohan Singh, ULFA, outlawed organisation, Prime Minister, Assam, peace talks, negotiations
