PCG will stay to broker peace process with govt: Rajkhowa

The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) says it will not dissolve the Peoples’ Consultative Group it formed to broker peace process with the government .But in the same breath it says it will have nothing to do if a member of the panel wants to pull of it citing personal reasons.

In a statement, ULFS chairman Arabinda rajkhowa on Saturday has said that though two companies of ULFA's 28 Battalion had criticised the PCG's role in the peace process, the central leadership had constituted it for a specific purpose. Rajkhowa has maintained that the relevance and social responsibility of PCG cannot be undermined. ULFA desires a negotiated political solution of its problems and the PCG was constituted with this in view. He, however, said that if any member of the PCG desired to leave the platform, they were welcome to do so and the ULFA would not try to stop them.

It may be noted that several quarters have been averse to the PCG role and even a few members of the penal were understood to have wanted to pull out of it while they are caught in controversy. The panel was set up in 2005 and hold three rounds of talks with the Centre. Lachit Bordoloi was arrested for ULFA link under National Security Act while another member Hiranya Saikia has also been arrested charging him with ULFA link.