BanglaBhoot
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bdnews24.com - 28 June 2013
Until such time they received sanctuary and support in Bangladesh, the leaders of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) maintained a calculated silence on Assam's contentious "foreigners" issue -- but that changes after Dhaka has thrown them out.
The pro-talks faction of ULFA led by its "chairman" Arabinda Rajkhowa led a delegation to Delhi this week to negotiate with the Indian government.
They dropped their demand for Assam's sovereignty and be part of India but the ULFA delegation said Delhi must take "concrete steps" to identify the "lakhs of illegal Bangladeshis" and deport them to Bangladesh.
"Unless that happens, we cannot come to a settlement with the Indian government," says Arabinda Rajkhowa (real name: Rajiv Rajkhonwar).
India is unlikely to accept the ULFA's proposal for a 1951 cut-off date to identify foreigners which would mean all who came to Assam from erstwhile East Pakistan would be considered foreign nationals fit for deportation.
In 1986, Delhi signed an accord with the All Assam Students Union (AASU) that maintained 25 March, 1971 as the cut off date but a clause in the agreement provided for a 10-year disenfranchisement of those who had come to Assam from East Pakistan between 1966 and 1971.
Minority groups in Assam opposed the agreement but Delhi implemented it to placate nativist sentiments.
The ULFA seems to be seeking some kind of a similar arrangement -- a 10-year disenfranchisement of the 1966-71 migrants that would mean their reduced impact on Assam's politics.
An infant political party primarily made up of migrants of East Bengali origin -- Assam United Democratic Front led by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal -- has gone from strength to strength in the state , first winning 9 seats in 2006 and then 18 seats in 2011 Assam state assembly elections.
Following the 2012 riots against the migrants, the AUDF seems to have consolidated its position even further.
"But it would be grossly unfair and illegal for Delhi to accept a 10-year disenfranchisement for a population group which already suffered it once in the 1986-1996 period. If challenged in court, this will fall through," says Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury, a former AUDF leader and a top lawyer.
Choudhury led the United Minorities Front (UMF) which was formed in 1985 after the Assam accord and later joined Ajmal's AUDFwhen it came up in 2006.
The ULFA formed in 1979 to wage armed separatist movement in Assam started off with attacks on minorities and killed UMF general secretary Kalipada Sen and attacked its president Gholam Osmani 1985-86 .
But later when it found sanctuary and support in Bangladesh in the last days of the Ershad regime with help from Freedom Party leaders -- a fact which their leaders have publicly attested to -- the ULFA went silent on the migrants issue in Assam.
In fact, one of its party document praised the contribution of the Bengali settlers to growth of education, agriculture, professions and trade in colonial Assam .
But after the Hasina government started its crackdown against the ULFA and handed over several of its top leaders to India after nabbing them post-2009 , the ULFA split into pro-talks and anti-talks factions .
The pro-talks group led by Rajkhowa is for negotiations with India -- and they are raising the migrants issue with a bang again.
The anti-talks group led by ULFA's military wing chief Paresh Barua who evaded arrest in Bangladesh, is known to be lobbying for shelter in rthe country again , using his long-time contacts.
ULFA slams Bangladeshis - bdnews24.com
Until such time they received sanctuary and support in Bangladesh, the leaders of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) maintained a calculated silence on Assam's contentious "foreigners" issue -- but that changes after Dhaka has thrown them out.
The pro-talks faction of ULFA led by its "chairman" Arabinda Rajkhowa led a delegation to Delhi this week to negotiate with the Indian government.
They dropped their demand for Assam's sovereignty and be part of India but the ULFA delegation said Delhi must take "concrete steps" to identify the "lakhs of illegal Bangladeshis" and deport them to Bangladesh.
"Unless that happens, we cannot come to a settlement with the Indian government," says Arabinda Rajkhowa (real name: Rajiv Rajkhonwar).
India is unlikely to accept the ULFA's proposal for a 1951 cut-off date to identify foreigners which would mean all who came to Assam from erstwhile East Pakistan would be considered foreign nationals fit for deportation.
In 1986, Delhi signed an accord with the All Assam Students Union (AASU) that maintained 25 March, 1971 as the cut off date but a clause in the agreement provided for a 10-year disenfranchisement of those who had come to Assam from East Pakistan between 1966 and 1971.
Minority groups in Assam opposed the agreement but Delhi implemented it to placate nativist sentiments.
The ULFA seems to be seeking some kind of a similar arrangement -- a 10-year disenfranchisement of the 1966-71 migrants that would mean their reduced impact on Assam's politics.
An infant political party primarily made up of migrants of East Bengali origin -- Assam United Democratic Front led by Maulana Badruddin Ajmal -- has gone from strength to strength in the state , first winning 9 seats in 2006 and then 18 seats in 2011 Assam state assembly elections.
Following the 2012 riots against the migrants, the AUDF seems to have consolidated its position even further.
"But it would be grossly unfair and illegal for Delhi to accept a 10-year disenfranchisement for a population group which already suffered it once in the 1986-1996 period. If challenged in court, this will fall through," says Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury, a former AUDF leader and a top lawyer.
Choudhury led the United Minorities Front (UMF) which was formed in 1985 after the Assam accord and later joined Ajmal's AUDFwhen it came up in 2006.
The ULFA formed in 1979 to wage armed separatist movement in Assam started off with attacks on minorities and killed UMF general secretary Kalipada Sen and attacked its president Gholam Osmani 1985-86 .
But later when it found sanctuary and support in Bangladesh in the last days of the Ershad regime with help from Freedom Party leaders -- a fact which their leaders have publicly attested to -- the ULFA went silent on the migrants issue in Assam.
In fact, one of its party document praised the contribution of the Bengali settlers to growth of education, agriculture, professions and trade in colonial Assam .
But after the Hasina government started its crackdown against the ULFA and handed over several of its top leaders to India after nabbing them post-2009 , the ULFA split into pro-talks and anti-talks factions .
The pro-talks group led by Rajkhowa is for negotiations with India -- and they are raising the migrants issue with a bang again.
The anti-talks group led by ULFA's military wing chief Paresh Barua who evaded arrest in Bangladesh, is known to be lobbying for shelter in rthe country again , using his long-time contacts.
ULFA slams Bangladeshis - bdnews24.com
seems like the ULfA freedom fighters will remain freedom fighters for a long time
