Assam: ULFA chief drops 8 top leaders from central committee

There is a vertical split in the proscribed outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam with its hardliner faction led by fugitive commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah forming a new 'central committee' by dropping its eight top leaders including its Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, who is now engaged in peace talks with the government.

"We have decided to have a new central committee comprising of 16 members and a standing committee with three members. We would also have three respectable individuals as political advisors to carry forward our goal for creation of an independent sovereign Assam," said Arunodoi Dohotia, publicity chief of the ULFA (Paresh Baruah faction), in an email to the media.

The statement added that that the eight top leaders of the outfit, including chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, would be taken back in the fold of the outfit, provided they realised their mistake of entering into peace talks with the government.

The eight top ULFA leaders who haven't been included in the new central committee of ULFA are Arabinda Rajkhowa, Vice Chairman Pradeep Gogoi, Deputy Commander-in-chief' Raju Baruah, Foreign Secretary Sasha Choudhury,  Finance secretary Chitraban Hazarika, Cultural Secretary Pranati Deka, Publicity Secretary Mithinga Daimary and senior political ideologue Bhimkanta Buragohain.

All of them were released on bail from jail to facilitate their participation in the peace talks. All of them except Buragohain were arrested in Bangladesh before handing them over to India in December 2009.

They have already held two rounds of talks with the goverenment. The first round was held in February when they ULFA doves met also called on the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and met Home Minister PC Chidambaram.

The ULFA was formed in 1979 with the objective to 'liberate' Assam from the clutches of 'colonial India'. The statement from the hardliner faction has just confirmed the vertical rift in the outfit that had appeared when a faction came forward for talks.

"The decision by the Paresh Baruah faction to restructure the organisation is unconstitutional and against democratic values and principles as enshrined in the constitution of the outfit," said Rajkhowa.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said there was no cause for worry about the anti-talks faction of the ULFA forming a new Central committee. He said the present peace talks with the ULFA group led by Rajkhowa would continue.