Poor get poorer
As always, given the inequities built into the global economic system, the poorest people in the world have been the…
No one knows how long the people of Assam will have to wait for the Centre-Ulfa peace talks to materialise (A recent report said the Centre might spring a surprise before the 2016 assembly election). People&’s patience has been tested for far too long.
Since the commencement of the formal parleys in February 2011, at least five sittings have taken place but there is not much to show over the past one- and- a- half years after the pro-talks Ulfa leaders reportedly put the matter in the Centre&’s court. In Nagaland, NSCN(IM) chairman Isak Swu&’s indifferent health prompted the BJP government to hurriedly sign the 3 August “framework” peace accord because without his signature the Nagas would have considered it “irrelevant”; after all he is the only rebel leader from Nagaland.
No such exigency presents itself in Assam. Having come overground and negotiating as they are from advantageous peaceful home turf, pro-talk leaders should try for an early breakthrough in the spirit of give-and-take. Ulfa&’s insistence on safeguarding the interests of indigenous people is understandable. But everyone must put in efforts for a stable and united Assam and any peace accord must keep in mind the fact that the state is home to diverse communities.
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It cannot be said that talks have “stalled” or slowed down because the Centre is yet to meet Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa&’s demand that his general secretary Anup Chetia – in Dhaka&’s protective custody for several years – be included in the talks, arguing that his presence would help quick decision-making. Had this been the case one wonders why he waited till the third round of talks to raise the matter. And why are they silent over their self-styled-commander- in-chief Paresh Barua, the lone leader dreaming of Swadhin Asom and whose return alone can usher in an era of lasting peace?
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