Guwahati/Tezpur, February 3
The banned Assam-based militant outfit ULFA today rejected Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's offer for peace talks echoing their chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa’s stand “no peace talks with ULFA leaders in jail”.

“The ULFA leaders cannot sit for peace talks from jail with handcuffs,” jailed ULFA ideologue Bhimkanta Buragohain told reporters in Tezpur, where he was produced before a fast track court. The leaders have to be free for convening meetings of the ULFA’s highest decision making committee to decide on peace talks, he said.

Buragohain, whose real name is Bishnujyoti Buragohain, and is addressed as ‘Mama’ by ULFA cadres, accused Chidambaram of not perceiving the sentiments of the local people. “Chidambaram is not sensitive to the sentiments of the people here. He is not fully aware about Assam's situation, including its economic problems and geographical set up,” he said.

Buragohain also accused some intellectuals of the state of acting as “brokers of the government for negotiating talks between ULFA and government for their own interest”. Burogohain “rejected” the claim of arrested surrendered ULFA (SULFA) cadre Kamal Nath’s claim last week at the Tezpur Sessions Judge Court that 11 ULFA leaders, handed over to the Indian army during Operation All Clear in Bhutan against ULFA in 2003, were killed in Shillong. He suspected that the 11 were still in the army’s custody as they along with him and six others were together till being handed over to Indian Army on December 25 that year by the Royal Bhutan Army.

Meanwhile, jailed ULFA publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary, who was being taken to the Regional Dental Hospital at Guwahati for medical care told reporters, “No letter will be sent from jail to the Centre offering ULFA’s willingness for talks. If we are set free, we will talk. No talks with handcuffs.” Yesterday, ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa said his outfit cannot think of talks when the leaders were inside jail and not free.

“We cannot think of negotiations from inside the jail and we will not give any letter to the government for holding talks,” Rajkhowa told a private news channel at the dental hospital where he was brought for treatment. The ULFA chairman further said when they were not free, it was not possible for the outfit to give any communication regarding their stand on negotiations.

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had yesterday told reporters in Guwahati that there could be no talks without communication from ULFA expressing willingness to do so. “The Centre has made it clear that a written communication is needed to take the talks process forward and so far they have not received any clear communication from ULFA,” Gogoi had said. — PTI