Assam: ULFA hawks seeks support of ethnic groups

The United Liberation Front of Assam led by its fugitive commander in chief Paresh Barua has called upon all the indigenous ethnic groups in Assam including Bodo, Karbi, Dimasa others to join its armed revolution to liberate Assam from the clutches of the 'colonial Indian state'.

The outfit's self-styled 'chairman' Abhijit Asom in a statement issued on Sunday stated that once Assam could be 'liberated', the issue of protection of individual identity, political and economic rights of all the indigenous ethnic communities could be talked out. The ULFA said it would aspire for unity among diversity.

"It is not possible within the framework of Indian Constitution to fulfill the political aspirations individual ethnic communities in Assam. The autonomy granted under the sixth schedule of India Constitution to various ethnic groups in Assam so far has failed to fulfill the aspiration of tribes as a whole while a handful of leaders of those communities have reaped the benefit. The sixth schedule autonomy is designed to create division among various ethnic groups so that the aspiration for a unified greater Assam remains unfulfilled,' the ULFA statement alleged.

The ULFA pointed out that increasing tendency among various indigenous communities in Assam to identify themselves by their tribal identity instead of 'Assamese' (resident of Assam) because of 'emotional illusion' over the 'dominance' of non-tribal Assamese-speaking communities had succeeded the design of 'colonial Indian State' to keep Assam a divided house.

Security sources, however, termed the ULFA's statement a desperate attempt to win back the support of tribal people in the State as its base among the 'Assamese-speaking' communities have been dwindling fast of late.

The outfit has of late intensified its extortion operation targeting even small traders and government servants as the security forces have managed to reduce the flow of money to ULFA coffer from big businessmen and houses through close monitoring and preventive measures.