For the banned United Liberation Front of Assam, it is the people from the 'Indian sub-continent' who are illegal migrants in Assam and not the 'trespassers' from neighbouring Bangladesh and Nepal.
The militant organisation has made it clear that its understanding of 'illegal migrants' is quite different from that of the influential All Assam Students' Union, which has been spearheading the decades-old tirade against illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
The AASU may be convinced that illegal migrants from Bangladesh have posed a serious threat to the identity of 'indigenous' people of the state, but the banned ULFA differs on that.
The ULFA in the latest issue of its mouthpiece Freedom, which was e-mailed to media in Guwahati, stated that 'illegal migrants to Assam from Indian sub-continent had threatened the existence of the state, created chaotic situation in the social formation and occupied political and economic spheres at the expense of indigenous people.'
The ULFA noted: 'Indian rule and rulers are the main illegal foreigners. The principal illegal occupational forces in Assam are the Indian Army. Those who have trespassed from Bangladesh and Nepal must be identified and driven away. But before that, Indian occupational forces must be expelled from Assam. With their notorious tricks to carry on business in Assam, the places which they occupied and converted into mini Bihar, mini Rajasthan, and mini Kolkata must be evicted.'
The insurgent group, which is facing the heat of intensified Army operation in the wake of the deadlock that bogged down the latest peace initiative to facilitate ULFA-Government talks, was very critical of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent announcement to continue with Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 in the northeast though the Reddy Commission recommended its scrapping.
In reaction to the hint dropped by Dr Singh during his recent visit to Manipur to amend certain provisions of the AFSPA, the ULFA stated that the Act, which empowers armed forces to kill people on mere suspicion of being militants, will never bring back peace in the region.
