No Truce with Bodo Militants: Gogoi
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has opposed extending the ceasefire with the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB)—an armed outfit considered more dangerous than the ULFA—which expired on December 31.
Gogoi’s opposition to the ceasefire extension comes on a day when P Chidambaram arrives on his maiden visit to Assam as Union Home Minister. Chidambaram, who reaches Guwahati late on Thursday night, will review the Assam security scenario in the wake of the October 30 serial blasts as also the counter-insurgency operations under the United Command structure.
“I am against extending the ceasefire with NDFB which expired last night. They have violated the ceasefire ground rules. In spite of the ceasefire they carried out serial blasts in Guwahati and other places (on October 30),” Gogoi said. The CM, however, said it was ultimately for the Centre to take the ultimate decision. “The Centre will of course make its own assessment of the ground situation before taking a decision,” he said.
NDFB, originally formed as Bodo Security Force in 1986 with a demand for creation of a sovereign state for the Bodo tribals of Assam, had entered into a ceasefire with the Centre in October 2005, following which it has been extended from time to time. But with several of its cadres being arrested in connection with the serial blasts of October 30 which left over 90 dead in Guwahati and three other towns, Assam is now opposing extension of ceasefire against the NDFB.
Gogoi also hailed the victory of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League and its allies in the just-concluded parliamentary elections in Bangladesh, and expressed hope that the new regime would flush out all Northeast rebel groups from hideouts across the border.
Gogoi said he would be only too happy to lead an Indian goodwill delegation to Bangladesh in order to discuss various issues common to the Northeast and the neighbouring country. “I would definitely love to do so, provided the Government of India permits me,” he said.
Source: Indian Express
Gogoi’s opposition to the ceasefire extension comes on a day when P Chidambaram arrives on his maiden visit to Assam as Union Home Minister. Chidambaram, who reaches Guwahati late on Thursday night, will review the Assam security scenario in the wake of the October 30 serial blasts as also the counter-insurgency operations under the United Command structure.
“I am against extending the ceasefire with NDFB which expired last night. They have violated the ceasefire ground rules. In spite of the ceasefire they carried out serial blasts in Guwahati and other places (on October 30),” Gogoi said. The CM, however, said it was ultimately for the Centre to take the ultimate decision. “The Centre will of course make its own assessment of the ground situation before taking a decision,” he said.
NDFB, originally formed as Bodo Security Force in 1986 with a demand for creation of a sovereign state for the Bodo tribals of Assam, had entered into a ceasefire with the Centre in October 2005, following which it has been extended from time to time. But with several of its cadres being arrested in connection with the serial blasts of October 30 which left over 90 dead in Guwahati and three other towns, Assam is now opposing extension of ceasefire against the NDFB.
Gogoi also hailed the victory of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League and its allies in the just-concluded parliamentary elections in Bangladesh, and expressed hope that the new regime would flush out all Northeast rebel groups from hideouts across the border.
Gogoi said he would be only too happy to lead an Indian goodwill delegation to Bangladesh in order to discuss various issues common to the Northeast and the neighbouring country. “I would definitely love to do so, provided the Government of India permits me,” he said.
Source: Indian Express
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