Accord with pro-talks Ulfa group is a possibility
The release on bail of United liberation Front of Asom founder and general secretary Anup Chetia paves the way for reconciliation talks between the Centre and the Ulfa leadership which has come on board to establish peace in the North-East and Assam in particular. It helps that both the Centre and the Government of Assam are on the same page on the issue. It had been widely expected that Chetia's arrest in Bangladesh and return to India in November would energise talks between the Union Government and the insurgent organisation — or at least its major part owing allegiance to Chetia and others who have agreed to sit across the table and resolve issues. So far, the story has gone according to the script. Chetia has not been absolved of the charges that he faces in a special court in Guwahati, but the fact that he has secured bail in the four last cases in which he is being tried, indicates that it is a matter of time before the legal matters get sorted out for good. Of course, a great deal in that direction depends on developments in the coming weeks and months and Chetia's response to the peace process. For now, there is no reason to believe that he will not cooperate. After all, he has been saying the right things; he has, for instance, expressed regret for “Ulfa's errors” and stated his commitment to work alongside “nationalist” organisations. Chetia has also resolved to work for a “peaceful settlement of the Indo-Assam conflict”. While his hyphenation of India with Assam — almost giving the impression that the two are different — may cause some eyebrows to be raised, it must not be given exaggerated importance in the fresh environment of give-and-take that prevails. The other welcome remark from the Ulfa leader is that he will not misuse the bail he has been granted, to go underground; he did that after he had met then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao in 1992. His commitment to the welfare of the “indigenous communities of Assam” cannot be faulted, because therein lies the crux of a fresh accord.
There are two challenges that lie ahead. The first is to sustain the initial success of what can at best be termed as a tentative beginning. There will be hiccups since three stakeholders are associated with the talks — the Centre, the Assam Government and the pro-talks faction of Ulfa — and each have had different and long-held perspectives on the matter. All of them have to now think out of the box for a solution to be arrived at. The other challenge emanates from the anti-talks section, primarily the one led by hardline Ulfa leader Paresh Barua. He remains the party pooper and there is no indication as of yet that he is willing to give up his demand for sovereignty for Assam and its dismemberment from the Indian Union. Hopefully, Barua will either come on board or be marginalised as the reconciliation process gains ground and begins to evolve towards lasting peace in the region.