PM has final say on release of ULFA leaders: Gogoi

Deviating from his earlier stand on the release of top leaders of the United Liberation Front of Asom from jail to facilitate talks with the outfit, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh would have the final say in the matter.

Gogoi said Singh being the head of the government would decide if the ULFA leaders could be released for the sake of dialogue.

The chief minister was reacting to the prime minister's statement to a delegation of Sanmilita Jatiya Abhibartan -- a civil society convention for revival of ULFA peace process – on Monday that he was not opposed to the release of ULFA leaders to facilitate talks.

Contrary to what he said on Tuesday, Gogoi had earlier maintained that it was up to the court of law to decide on the release of ULFA leaders.

A six-member delegation of the civil society convention led by litterateur Dr Hiren Gohain met Singh in New Delhi on Monday evening to apprise him that the top ULFA leaders, who are in jail now, were prepared to hold talks.

The delegation requested Singh during the 45-minute discussion to facilitate release of top ULFA leaders to pave way for the discussion on various issues "short of sovereignty demand".

Gohain informed that the prime minister's intervention could impress the group that he was serious about solving the ULFA problem.

Singh also advised the civil society group representatives to meet the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram regarding the peace process with the banned ULFA.

The top ULFA leaders in jail including the outfit's chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa had earlier said they should be released from the jail so that they could take decision in a free and fair atmosphere about holding talks with the government.

Most of the central committee leaders of the outfit are in jails in Assam. It is the central committee of the outfit that can decide in the matters of holding dialogue with the government.

The major hurdle for talks with the ULFA has been the stand of its fugitive commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, who has demanded that the dialogue be held only when the outfit's demand for sovereignty finds a place in the agenda.

The government has repeatedly rejected this and is willing to hold dialogue only within the framework of Indian Constitution.

The pro-ULFA talks civil society group and the Assam government have agreed that talks can be held sans Barua, who is suspected to be taking shelter somewhere along the Myanmar-China border.

This means Barua will be marginalised leading to fractionation of the outfit.