Shillong, Dec 28: A Memorandum of Settlement was signed between Government of India, Government of Assam and representatives of United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), in New Delhi, on Friday.
The agreement was with the pro-talks group of ULFA.
Besides, Union Home and Cooperation Minister, Amit Shah, Assam Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma and senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Government of Assam were also present during the signing of the MoU.
Shah said after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014, efforts were made to bridge the gap between Delhi and Northeast and talks with everyone started with an open mind. He said that in last 5 years, 9 peace and border related agreements were signed with different states in the Northeast.
The Union Home Minister said that on record more than 9000 cadres have surrendered and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) has been lifted from 85 percent area of Assam. He said that due to the tripartite agreement being signed between the Government of India, the Government of Assam and ULFA, the Modi government has achieved success in eliminating all the violent groups in Assam. He said the agreement is very important for peace in Assam and the entire Northeast. He said that under the agreement, ULFA representatives have agreed to abjure path of violence, lay down all their arms and ammunition and disband their armed organisation. Apart from this, ULFA has also agreed to vacate all camps occupied by its armed cadres, engage in the peaceful democratic process established by law and maintain the integrity of the country.
Shah said that In ULFA conflict, about 10 thousand people from both sides were killed, who were citizens of this country.
He said the Government of India has agreed to provide a huge package and several big projects for all round development of Assam. He said that the Modi government will comply with all provisions of the agreement.
Shah said that after formation of Modi government in 2014, violent incidents in Assam decreased by 87%, deaths by 90% and kidnappings by 84%. He said that so far 7500 cadres have surrendered in Assam alone, which will have addition of 750 more today, thus the surrender of over 8200 cadres in Assam alone is the beginning of a new era of peace.
The Union Home Minister said that the Modi government has signed NLFT agreement in 2019, Bru and Bodo in 2020, Karbi in 2021, Adivasi agreement in 2022, Assam-Meghalaya border agreement, Assam-Arunachal border agreement and agreement with UNLF in 2023 and today, with ULFA. He said that with this agreement today, a new era of peace is going to begin for the entire Northeast and especially Assam.
Shah said that a time-bound programme will be made by the Ministry of Home Affairs, to fulfill the demands of ULFA and a committee will also be formed for its monitoring. He said that in all the agreement signed after 2019, the Modi government is ahead of time and efforts have been made to fulfill all the conditions.
The home minister said that this would not have been possible without Prime Minister Modi’s broader vision of an insurgency-free Northeast.
