Ulfa talks await Chetia

Nishit Dholabhai, TT, New Delhi, Nov. 24: Political issues were not discussed at today's round of peace talks between Ulfa and the Centre since the outfit wants its general secretary Anup Chetia to participate in the negotiations and the Centre is waiting for an "opportune moment" for his release and eventual participation.
After holding discussions at North Block with Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and interlocutor P.C. Haldar, the Ulfa leadership, led by Arabinda Rajkhowa, said no substantial discussions were held today.
The Centre and the Assam government are waiting for Chetia to say he wants to participate, which will create the opportune moment for the governments to not oppose Chetia's bail application, The Telegraph has learnt. Government sources said procedures will have to be followed before Chetia can move a bail application.
"There was no political discussion today because our general secretary Anup Chetia was not part of the talks," the outfit's "foreign secretary" Sashadhar Choudhury said.
"The government has assured us that Anup Chetia will be included in the discussions and our demands looked into," he added.
The next round of talks is scheduled in December, he said. The Centre, however, kept its cards close to its chest and responded with caution.
Minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said Chetia's questioning was still on and only after that could it be said whether he would be able to participate in the talks or not.

A home ministry release said today, "The Union home secretary suggested to the government of India's representative to examine the request of Ulfa leaders."

Over the next few weeks, it is expected that Chetia's "old cases" will come before the courts and his request to the Centre to participate in the talks will clear the decks for a bail application. Cases against Ulfa leaders have not been withdrawn and they are out on bail. Chetia's case is expected to be no different.

Since all cases against Chetia date to the early 1990s or 1980s, his release on bail before talks in December "is not impossible", government sources said.

Ulfa leaders today said Chetia was always for a negotiated settlement and the Centre largely agrees with that view. Chetia is understood to have gone to Bangladesh in the early 1990s to convince Paresh Barua and others to join the peace process.

A senior former intelligence official said, "That could not happen and Chetia had to spend time in jail."

Chetia's participation is important for both Ulfa and the NDA government ahead of the Assam elections. He is not only the founding general secretary of the outfit but also belongs to the Muttock community to which Paresh Barua also belongs.

Chetia and Barua are cousins and the Myanmar-based rebel leader considers Chetia his mentor.

"We know he (Chetia) has been in favour of talks," said a government source.

Since their return to India in 2009, Rajkhowa and his deputies have several times asked the Centre to get Chetia to India. The talks began in 2011 without Chetia but now appears to hinge on him.

The Ulfa leadership thanked the Centre and the Assam government for repatriation of Chetia from Bangladesh. Chetia was deported from Dhaka this month.

Special secretary (internal security) Ashok Prasad and joint secretary (Northeast) Satyendra Garg were part of the talks. From Assam, state chief secretary V.K. Pipersenia, additional directors-general of police Pallab Bhattacharya and A.K. Cassyap and home commissioner L.S. Changsan participated in the talks.

In Guwahati, Chetia's wife Monica Barua today said her husband had told her that he would not return to the armed movement and would work for Assam through democratic and peaceful ways.

She made the statement after meeting him at the Guwahati Central Jail today. During her visit to the jail, she was accompanied by her son Bumoni and pro-talks Ulfa leader Mrinal Hazarika, among others.