Assam: ULFA takes exception to Rahul's comment

The outlawed anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam on Sunday took exception to All Indian Congress Committee general secretary, Rahul Gandhi's comment referring to 'suspected illegal migrants from Bangladesh' lodged in camps of violence-displaced people in western Assam as Indian citizens.

In a statement e-mailed to the media here, the ULFA chairman Abhijit Asom stated that Rahul's comment once against proved the 'design of colonial Indian rulers' to wipe out the indigenous Assamese people from the face of Assam so that they could continue to rule Assam without any hindrance.

The ULFA faction stated the people of Assam must realise that Assam would be free of illegal migrants from the neighbouring countries only when it would be an independent and sovereign state.

"For that to happen, the people of Assam will have to emulate the masses of the erstwhile East Pakistan who had come out en masse against then military rulers of Pakistan to attain freedom," the ULFA stated.

It may be mentioned that Rahul during his September 11 visit to three relief camps of violence-displaced in Dhubri and Kokrajhar district stated in one of relief camps in Dhubri district that "We are Indians and we have to live together and face our problems together."

The ULFA faction referring to the fresh agitation taking root in the State against illegal migration from Bangladesh stated that the 'colonial government of India' would take all repressive measures possible to crush the fresh agitation and as a result it would add to the list of 855 martyrs who had sacrificed their lives during the earlier phase of anti- foreigners agitation during 1979-85.

The ULFA faction, therefore, called upon the people of Assam to leaf through the pages of Assam history and take heart how erstwhile heroes of Assam had valiantly resisted repeated attempts by rulers of the mainland India to invade Assam.