As 2007 nears its end with no let up in militancy in Assam, the peace-activists of the northeastern state have now pinned their hopes on a Kannadiga.

The civil society notables and the social organisations, trying to facilitate a peace-process between the Centre and the proscribed United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), are in touch with M Veerappa Moily, hoping that the Congress veteran from Karnataka can help them in their efforts.

The Congress leads a coalition government in Assam where Moily is the general secretary for the All India Congress Committee (AICC). Noted litterateur Indira Raisom Goswami, an old acquaintance of Moily, roped the former Karnataka chief minister in her efforts to breathe fresh life into the Centre-ULFA peace-process.
Goswami has over the past few years been trying to facilitate talks between the ULFA and the Centre. The process was stalled in 2006, when the outfit had demanded that its five leaders be released before peace-talks continue.

Goswami has requested Moily to persuade the government to release the five ULFA leaders, in the interest of peace.

The AICC general secretary reportedly called up human rights activist and an ULFA emissary Lachit Bordoloi a few days back to enquire if the rebel outfit would make a written promise that it would sit for talks with the Union government if its leaders were set free.

Ready for talks
“I told him that it had already been decided in the last meeting between the Centre and People’s Consultative Group (PCG) that New Delhi would ask the state government to release the ULFA leaders and the organisation would give it in writing that it was ready for talks,” Bordoloi said, who also heads the People’s Committee for Peace Initiative in Assam (PCPIA).

He added that Moily had raised fresh hopes by expressing interests in reviving the process of bringing the ULFA and the Centre on the table of negotiation.