Guwahati: Paresh Baruah, the commander-in-chief of the banned insurgent group United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) or ULFA(I), has responded to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s invitation that he visit the state and see its “changing realities”.
Speaking to ThePrint from an unknown number Monday evening, Baruah, who left Assam 30 years ago, said Sarma “is one of the best chief ministers of Assam, but no jaati or community can relinquish their historical rights in the name of development”.
Baruah said he is aware of the development in Assam, but maintained his stand that he would join peace talks only when the issue of sovereignty is under discussion.
“I do not wish to live as a cheat, but as a part of the jaati (community),” he said.
Chief Minister Sarma had Monday said that constant discussion and negotiation with Paresh Baruah will provide results “today or tomorrow”.
“Let Paresh Baruah speak to 10,000 people in Assam — someone would tell him about the roads built, he should know Assam has changed,” Sarma had said in an interaction with journalists.
His statement came after the pro-talks faction of the ULFA signed a tripartite Memorandum of Settlement (MoS) with the central and Assam governments in New Delhi, following nearly 12 years of negotiations.
In a reference to illegal immigration from Bangladesh, the chief minister had said that if Baruah returned to Assam, the ULFA’s ‘Charter of Demands’, “where illegal immigration from Bangladesh is not being recognised as a problem… would change automatically”.
In response, Baruah said the “foreigners’ issue” is a sort of social conflict that all governments in Assam have sought to exploit for political reasons.
“It has been made into an issue by every government, recreated by any party that comes into power — every five years — for political gains,” he added.
“There’s never a solution, but the social harmony is disturbed. The larger concern is the identity and distinctiveness of the Assamese people, which is fast waning away.”
Baruah also referred to the agreement signed by the ULFA (pro-talks) faction, saying the delegation led by chairperson Arabinda Rajkhowa did it “in the hope of finding shore — by riding the back of intellectuals and politicians”.
Other issues he spoke about included economic inequality, and the preeminence of Hindi-speaking states in parliamentary representation among others. He also dwelled on the contribution of Assam in the freedom struggle, and the need for inclusive development.
Also Read: ‘Paresh Baruah must know about changing realities of Assam’ — Himanta reaches out to ULFA (I) chief
‘ULFA(I) not resisting development’
ULFA(I) is the breakaway faction of secessionist ULFA, with the split occurring in 2012, when the parent organisation opted for talks with the central government.
ULFA came into existence in the same socio-political churn of the late 1970s and early 1980s that triggered the six-year Assam agitation (1979-1985) against immigrants.
The ULFA has been accused of unleashing a wave of violence in Assam, including abductions for ransom and killing of government officials, besides disruption of communications and attacks on economic targets.
The killings and illegal activities escalated in 1990, but declined after the Army was deployed — even as sporadic attacks continued.
The peak period for the outfit was 1987-90. In November 1990, Assam was brought under the President’s rule, and the ULFA was banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
The organisation, however, continued to serve notices to business houses and companies, including tea plantations, on creating jobs for indigenous Assamese youths.
Baruah is believed to control the organisation from a Chinese region bordering Myanmar, but his exact whereabouts remain unconfirmed.
Speaking to ThePrint, Baruah expressed gratitude to Sarma for bringing development in Assam, but explained why the demand for sovereignty wasn’t subject to a bargain.
“There can be no compromise on our historical rights in the name of development,” he added.
“A community understands its history, and can never abandon it. The political right to history has been established since the first day of independence — every leader, including Mahatma Gandhi, has recognised historical legitimacy, in what has been documented, recorded,” the ULFA-I chief said.
“Take the examples of Scotland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, or Catalan community of Catalonia — developed nations also wanted independence. Consider the United States of America — a federal republic where each of the 50 states has its own constitution and government,” he added.
Baruah said his organisation was not “resisting development” in Assam. “We have not hindered MNCs from taking up projects in the state — they have been doing so peacefully,” he added. “But this development should have come much earlier. It has been long-ignored. Some chief ministers did not do it. They only achieved power.”
Baruah added that there should be accountability for the use of Assam’s resources.
“We want to know from the Chief Minister, and he should make it known to the people of Assam — since 1947, how much of our resources, including oil, have been emptied and given away, and what have we got in return? The amount of natural resources that have been taken away, in that context, the development should have been double of what it is now,” he said.
Development, he said, “does not mean shining roads”. “It should be inclusive, irrespective of caste and creed”, and people should have equal possibilities, he said.
“There are hardly any industries in Assam, and if the income and opportunity is not evenly distributed among people, how will you have a vibrant economy?” said Baruah.
In Japan, he added, “even a barber can buy a luxury car”.
“In Assam, the people in riverine areas are suffering to this day… Most of them are earning their living through daily wage labour – they have to think twice before buying a bicycle,” he said.
‘Unequal representation in Parliament’
Questioning why Uttar Pradesh had the highest representation in the Lok Sabha, with 80 seats, while Assam only had 14, Baruah said India “is not considered a ‘Union of states’ by the Hindi-speaking population”.
“Did UP alone fight against the British for India’s Independence? It was Assam and West Bengal, Punjab and Maharashtra that contributed most significantly to India’s freedom struggle, with the maximum number of martyrs hailing from these places,” he added.
Referring to the government’s efforts to bring in a Uniform Civil Code, Baruah said “the identity of the people of Assam is different from the larger Indian identity”.
“If you want to bring in the Uniform Civil Code, you cannot do so by ignoring our history. We have a legitimacy of more than 200 years. We want to live as a jaati (community), and we want to live freely. Sovereignty is what we deserve, and we should get it,” he added.
This report has been updated with additional information
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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