Skip to content Skip to navigation

Another Logjam in Peace Process

Our Correspondent
Guwahati: A war of word between Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and peace broker Mamoni Roisom Goswami may put the peace process in yet another logjam.

Talking to a vernacular daily on its Monday issue, the award winning writer says she is not satisfied the way Mr Gogoi urges her to rush to Bangladesh.

“If need be I am ready to leave for Bangladesh with Rebati but it must be a decent appeal.”

“Let the Government make necessary arrangement to go to Bangladesh. I will do it tomorrow itself. But it will not be my personal initiative. The Chief Minister knows: how a top ranked leader of a banned outfit can be met.”

She rues that she finds it difficult it ti understand what Mr Gogoi says these days.

Notably, in a recent press conference Mr Gogoi said, “let Mamoni Raisom Goswami meet Paresh Baruah or Arabinda Rajkhowa and convince them to come forward for talk, as direct contact with them is necessary for talks.”

Mr Gogoi also said it was strange that Mamoni Raisom Dr Goswami was maintaining silence on the Hajo blast. According to Mr Gogoi, “she has not condemned the incident, which I feel is rather strange.”

It may be recalled the entire peace process was revived recently while a forum headed by the professor with Delhi University called on Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in Delhi and urged him to revive the process.

When the delegation called on National Security Adviser MK Narayanan sought a direct proposal to the Government from the ULFA top brass to this effect.

The Chief Minister further asserted that the Centre’s stand on talks with the ULFA was clear, he said direct contact with the top leadership of the outfit was necessary for the purpose.

Comments

Sanjoy Hazarika's picture

What is this" peace process" that people are writing about and so excited about, especially the media. You have a group of well-meaning people who do not have any independent contact with Ulfa, as far as I can see, and certainly no clear authorization from them to negotiate. All that this group is doing is requesting the Govt. of India to "talk". The GOI has said it won't until Ulfa leaders come for talks unconditionally. This, the latter have said, they won't. So what peace process are we talking about -- it has no support from either side and is obviously not regarded seriously by too many people in the state and other parts of the NE. It would be better is the media took a dispassionate look at the whole issue instead of rushing into print or broadcast every time. In this case, we have a group of well-meaning citizens wanting to promote peace, which of course is commendable but does not go very far. It is important to note that the PCG, which has set up by Ulfa, may be defunct but it has not been disbanded.

Pages

Add new comment

Random Stories

ED indicts BJP leader in bank scam

26 Apr 2018 - 8:23am | AT News
GUWAHATI: In yet another major setback for Assam BJP unit, the enforcement directorate  has chargesheeted a senior party leader in a bank fraud case. He is none other than Jitu Goswami whom the...

Hapless widow appeals for grant of ex-gratia

9 May 2017 - 8:35am | Shajid Khan
In what may be a tale aptly going with the legal maxim "Justice delayed is justice denied" a sexagenarian poverty striken widow lady who is running from pillar-to-post seeking ex-gratia of her...

Youth slips from train, dies

9 Aug 2014 - 1:47pm | Jintul Talukdar
Yet another incident sends shockwaves in Barpeta district where a youth died after he slipped from a moving train on Saturday. The incident took place when the youth was travelling on the North East...

Reang girl gangraped and killed in Katlichera

15 Mar 2018 - 10:16am | AT News
HAILAKANDI: Unidentified miscreants gangraped and killed a Reang girl inside her house in Hailakandi sending huge wave cinemas of shock and anger across the state on Thursday. The incident of double...

Other Contents by Author

The Board of Secondary Education, Assam on Friday announced the results of the HSLC and AHM examination it conducted in February-March. Gyandeep Sarma from Shankardev Shishu Vidya Niketan in Bokakhat, Bhaswati Deka from St. Mary’s English High School in Maligaon and Stuty Khound from Shankardev Sishu Vidya Niketan in Biswanath Chariali topped HSLC examination this time leaving many reputed schools red-faced. The percentage of successful candidates this year is 69.63 where altogether 2,78, 704 candidates appeared. Altogether 1,94,067 candidates have cleared the HSLC examination out of whom 26,203 have been ranked in first division and 68,180 candidates have secured second division....
Stunned by a number of anomalies and controversy, the Board of Secondary Education, Assam is prepared to announce the results of the HSLC and AHM examination on Friday it conducted in February. SEBA on Thursday dispatched the results to different centres and the result booklets would be available in all the 51 zones to be announced at 12 noon on Friday. Last year, SEBA declared the HSLC/AHM examinations on May 27. This time it was delayed because of a number of difficulties.
Security forces recovered a huge IED in Sonari bordering Nagaland on Thursday. The powerful IED was recovered in the morning at Teokhabi village which was kept beneath the ground at the backyard of the resident Tankeswar Kurmi. The IED was believed to have been planted by ULFA’s Paresh Baruah faction which was seized during a search operation by Army’s 299 Field Regiment. Later it was defused by army’s bomb squad.
Heavy presence of security forces seems to have proved a futile effort to ensure safety and security of the people. Valuable properties worth Rs 5 lakh was looted from the Ganesh temple by thieves in Dispur on Wednesday. The incident took place in the mid night when it was raining outside. The thieves barged into the temple breaking the shutters and looted gold and silver which kept inside the almirahs. The thieves also stole an umbrella installed with the idol. The incident came to light on Thursday morning and the temple and committee and devotees called it an utter failure of the government to ensure safety of life and properties even in Dispur. Dispur police have already registered a...
Normal train services to and from Guwahati was left paralyzed on Thursday when over 500 people blocked a new Delhi bound train in Dudhnoi alleging government failure to rescue to teachers who were kidnapped from Assam-Meghalaya border last month. Braving incessant rains, protestors representing altogether 8 local organizations blocked the train in the morning which forced the Northeast Frontier Railway to reschedule the trains in the morning session. Shouting slogans, the protestors alleged the government’s inaction to rescue the two teachers namely Sarit Rabha and Kameswar Rabha last month from the Assam-Meghalaya border.
In a unique step forward, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) in association with Directorate of Information and Public Relations staged street plays in 10 different locations of Guwahati. The inaugural play was staged at the Regional Science Centre and consecutively it was staged in eight different locations in Guwahati. The final street play of this series was held at Assam Secretariat campus on June 13. The street play was organised in order to sensitize the staff and officials of Secretariat on key earthquake messages. Prithvi Majhi Hon’ble Minister, Revenue...
A high-level meeting between Assam and Nagaland that took place in Wokha district decided to ease the prevailing tension in Merapani where three houses were burnt. Deputy Commissioners and senior CRPF officials discussed the law and order situation along the interstate border. Tensions escalated after three houses on the Assam side were torched by a group of armed Nagas from across the border on June 11. The Wokha district administration has agreed to pay Rs 10,000 each to the affected families and the CRPF has also agreed to intensify patrolling along the border. Peace committees have been engaged in the disputed area and some police personnel would also be deployed there for a few days...
Activists of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha on Wednesday took out protest in the various cities and towns across the state in protest against deteriorating law and order situation. The protestors burnt effigies of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi at various places saying that the agitation was intended to highlight the law and order situation in the state and the government's failure to take any remedial measures.
The Opposition AGP on Wednesday dared the government to take action on the Justice K N Saikia commission report on the alleged 'secret killings' which shook the state between 1998 and 2001. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Tuesday, party leaders said that the Congress government has taken no action on the report of the judicial commission headed by former Supreme Court Justice Saikia. They said that the AGP government, which ruled Assam between 1996 and 2001, had formed a commission under Justice S Haque to investigate the killings when scores of people, including relatives of ULFA leaders, were killed by unidentified gunmen. The Saikia commission had been formed in 2005 and...
Three persons were killed and another person was critically injured when a bus hit them in Sonitpur district of Assam on Wednesday. The mishap took place at Patgaon when the four persons were travelling in motorbikes who were hit by a bus on its way from Guwahati to Lakhimpur district. Three persons died on the spot and critically injuring another. The deceased were identified as Dhrubajyoti Saikia, Niraj Mishra and Gopal Mandal while the injured, Ananta Saikia, has been shifted to Guwahati Medical College Hospital.