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>I don't recall seeing or hearing anyone making a claim that MRG is
attempting to get talks going between GoI and ULFA because she 'believes in
ULFA's >mission', whatever that might mean. That sounds like a rather weird
reason for negotiations between fighting adversaries for a peaceful
settlement.
If you would remember, the
bottomline issue was your question if I support MRG in her position as percived
by you.
Chandan:- > > >Do you not support her in her
position
> >>that ULFA should have the right to
bring its demand for sovereignty
> >>to the negotiating
table?
My answrer was that I don't belive
MRG's was taking a position or claiming that ULFA should have a
right. But my support to MRG was based on my
understanding that she was just trying to bring peace without actually
believeing in ULFA's misson or goal.
My position is same today. And I am
glad to see that MRG is also not stating anything about ULFA's
right to bring the demand of soveregnty to the negotiating
table. She is doing it because in her words"... I
knew that I was appealing as a writer and a common person. ....... I believe in
peace.".
The whole debate was about the word
RIGHT. And according to me she is not claiming that.
I donot belive ULFA has a RIGHT and
will not support anyone who demand or belive that ULFA has a
RIGHT. (The GOI may allow ULFA to do that. But that is different issue).
My support to MRG will go away the moment she claims that ULFA has a RIGHT.
You are trying to show that
MRG is taking a position that ULFA should have a RIGHT, which I don't find
anywhere, and definitely not in her words in this report.
In my opinion that was the issue
and the response to you at that time.
Rajen
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2005 9:53
PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Correspondent, why
avoid asking , No peace without Sovereigntyrestored?
Rajen:
Welcome back.
> She is doing it, as I said before,
for sake of peace and NOT because she believe in ULFA's
mssion >as some renonwn netter try to claim.
*** You are right. I did not realize she was doing it for peace, as
opposed to war. Thanks for pointing me to the light.
But I pay attention, generally, to what netters, renowned or the not so
renowned alike, say on such matters. I don't recall seeing or hearing
anyone making a claim that MRG is attempting to get talks going between GoI
and ULFA because she 'believes in ULFA's mission', whatever that might mean.
That sounds like a rather weird reason for negotiations between fighting
adversaries for a peaceful settlement.
Will you care to post that assertion wherever it might have come from?
Let us look at it and decide what the deal is.
>As I said before she is doing
because she is a writer.
*** You just read MRGs own words, but decided to rephrase it again. Why?
Do you think people can't understand what she meant? But I will go along your
need to rephrase others' statements, whether to help the person communicate
better, or
to spin it to reflect your own wishes.
But what does your statement above mean? That 'writers do crazy
things' like you explained once, and MRG being a writer she is doing
this?
Or is it that writers are synonymous with peacemakers? Therefore what
she, the writer, is doing is the 'writerly' thing to do-- making peace?
*** My apologies for responding in spite your admonition not to. But you
raised some profound issues that need understanding.
c :-)
At 5:22 PM -0500 6/14/05, Rajen Barua wrote:
CORRECTION:
>TS : What
prompted you to act as the mediator in the peace process?
>IG : The hard
core militants of the United Liberation Front of Asom fought for 27 years
for the liberation of Assam. It is said that more than >10,000 young boys
have been killed and 30,000 of them were wounded. Thousands of civilians
have also lost their lives. I have visited more than >a hundred families
in South Kamrup, Nalbari, Darrang, and Tinsukia and was overwhelmed to see
how violence has shattered the life of the >people. The Bible speaks of
"the cry of the innocent blood"; I could hear the cry, especially in parts
of South Kamrup.
>After the
incident in Dhemaji on 15th August, 2004, I decided to appeal to the
Honourable Prime Minister of India for restoration of peace in >Assam,
and to invite the militants for peace talks. I knew that I was appealing as
a writer and a common person. I considered it my democratic >right to
raise the issue publicly. Democracy can have no prejudice; the colour of
one�s skin, one�s special standing or one�s material wealth have >no
meaning in democratic spirit. I believe in peace.
I am glad
to hear it finally from her own mouth the truth about why she is doing it.
She is doing it, as I said before, for sake of peace
and NOT because she believe in ULFA's mssion as some renonwn
netter try to claim. As I said before she is doing because she is a
writer.
So shall we
say, one down for Chandan.
No, you
don't need to respond and try to spin.
Rajen
Barua
----- Original Message -----
From: Rajen
Barua
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2005 5:18 PM
Subject: Re: [Assam] Correspondent, why avoid asking ,
No peace without Sovereigntyrestored?
>TS : What prompted you to act as the mediator in the peace
process?
>IG : The hard core militants of the United Liberation
Front of Asom fought for 27 years for the liberation of Assam. It is said
that more than >10,000 young boys have been killed and 30,000 of them
were wounded. Thousands of civilians have also lost their lives. I have
visited more than >a hundred families in South Kamrup, Nalbari,
Darrang, and Tinsukia and was overwhelmed to see how violence has
shattered the life of the >people. The Bible speaks of "the cry of the
innocent blood"; I could hear the cry, especially in parts of South
Kamrup.
>After the incident in Dhemaji on 15th August, 2004, I
decided to appeal to the Honourable Prime Minister of India for
restoration of peace in >Assam, and to invite the militants for peace
talks. I knew that I was appealing as a writer and a common person. I
considered it my democratic >right to raise the issue publicly.
Democracy can have no prejudice; the colour of one�s skin, one�s special
standing or one�s material wealth have >no meaning in democratic
spirit. I believe in peace.
I am glad to hear it finally
from her own mouth the truth about why she is doing it. She is doing it,
as I said before, for sake of peace and because she believe in
ULFA's mssion as some renonwn netter try to claim. As I said before
she is doing because she is a writer.
So shall we say, one down for
Chandan.
No, you don't need to respond
and try to spin.
Rajen Barua
----- Original Message -----
From: Bartta Bistar
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2005 4:15 PM
Subject: [Assam] Correspondent, why avoid asking , No
peace without Sovereigntyrestored?
Jnanpith brought Paresh closer to Mamoni
�Path is set
for the peace process�
http://www.sentinelassam.com/
14 June
2005
Jnanpith award winner Dr. Indira Goswami needs no
introduction. She has been in the news due to her personal effort to
persuade and bring the ULFA to the negotiation table with the Centre.
The path is nearly cleared for the peace process to
start.
Our Correspondent in New Delhi in a tete-a-tete with the
renowned writer:
The Sentinel (TS) : How did you first come in contact
with the ULFA?
Indira Goswami (IG) : It was about 12 years ago. I used to
visit home during June-July. This is the vacation time here in Delhi
University. On that visit, a group of boys came to me to borrow the book
�Rusted Sword� (Mamore Dhora Torowal) which won the Sahitya
Akademi Award in 1983. They said that the novel will act as an
inspiration to their women cadres. I was taken aback. I wondered what
they meant by �women cadre�. But, then I realized who they were. This
book had nothing to do with or about their mission. It is one of a
series of three novels in which I dealt with migratory labourers in the
private companies in the early seventies. The entire novel revolves
around a strike by workers. The failure of the strike could be
attributed to the unwillingness of the labourers to
compromise.
In 1993, I was invited by some students to address a meeting
which they had organized in the memory of a great the icon, Bishnu
Rabha, in Darrang. I accepted their invitation since I had great regard
for Rabha. When I was a student of Cotton College, Rabha used to visit
our house often. I had no idea that the meeting was arranged by the ULFA
cadres. During the meeting, I could smell that there was something
afoot. One of the boys came up to the stage and requested me:
"Baideu, would you like to come to our base camp?" I readily
agreed as I was curious to know more about them.
Thus began one of the most memorable rides of my life.
Throughout the road I heard the sounds of army trucks. 1993 was the peak
of the army operations against the outfit. The car took a strange, wild
path. Its lights were switched off. When I enquired how they would drive
without lights, they said that they knew the way even in the dark. The
car halted in front of a house. A family came out and took me inside
with great respect. They told me that they were doing welfare work �
providing food to the poor, helping them claim many Government
provisions, building roads, libraries, etc. I ate with them and tried to
comprehend their mindset. I wanted to see the weapons which they were
using. They obliged me. Finally, when they drove me back, it was nine in
the night.
After a few years, I heard that almost all the boys of that
camp had been shot dead. The sole survivor, who is now a top leader of
the Surrendered ULFA (SULFA), wrote to me on April 8, 1997: "One of my
colleagues was nabbed and he got killed in an �encounter� with the army
on February 2, 1997. They tried to do the same to me, but the people of
Darrang pressurized the Chief Minister against it. I am indebted to the
people for this. I developed a soul-to-soul relationship with my fellow
prisoners. Throughout the State today, there is the fear and the stench
of death."
When I received the Jnanpith Award, Paresh Baruah, the
�commander-in-chief� of the ULFA, telephoned to congratulate me. More
than that, he said that he felt happy that Assamese literature had
become well-known outside Assam. He said that the people outside Assam
should come to know more about Assamese culture and literature. I am in
touch with him since then.
TS : What prompted you to act as the mediator in the peace
process?
IG : The hard core militants of the United Liberation Front
of Asom fought for 27 years for the liberation of Assam. It is said that
more than 10,000 young boys have been killed and 30,000 of them were
wounded. Thousands of civilians have also lost their lives. I have
visited more than a hundred families in South Kamrup, Nalbari, Darrang,
and Tinsukia and was overwhelmed to see how violence has shattered the
life of the people. The Bible speaks of "the cry of the innocent blood";
I could hear the cry, especially in parts of South
Kamrup.
After the incident in Dhemaji on 15th August, 2004, I
decided to appeal to the Honourable Prime Minister of India for
restoration of peace in Assam, and to invite the militants for peace
talks. I knew that I was appealing as a writer and a common person. I
considered it my democratic right to raise the issue publicly. Democracy
can have no prejudice; the colour of one�s skin, one�s special standing
or one�s material wealth have no meaning in democratic spirit. I believe
in peace.
TS : Will ULFA accept the Government�s initiative for talks?
What is your opinion on the outfit�s demand of releasing 10 top jailed
leaders?
IG : I definitely think they (ULFA) will come to the
negotiation table. Paresh is totally devoted to his mission. He, along
with other top leaders, will definitely come for the discussion with the
government. I totally agree that all the members of the executive
council of the outfit should be present in the meeting. Then only the
talks will be successful. So, I don�t think there is any harm in
releasing the 10 top leaders who are languishing in different jails.
This is the last chance to break the deadlock. If the government does
not take the initiative all will be lost. The peace process could have
started a long time back. But due to some wrong decisions of the Centre
as well as the banned organization, the process has been
delayed.
TS : You said that Paresh Baruah is totally devoted to his
mission. Is the killing of innocent people by the outfit is
justified?
IG : I myself have lost many of my kins in the gruesome
killings by the outfit. Girish Goswami was shot dead in broad daylight
in the premises of the State Bank, where he was the manager. He was my
childhood friend and a grandson of my father�s eldest sister. Manabendra
Sharma was killed in a busy bazaar in broad daylight. He was a family
friend and a relation.
Several years ago, when the bridges on the river Chenab and
Thandapani Tabi of Mushlai Suina in Khuni Nala Tabi of Jammu and Kashmir
were being built to bring the war machinery, my husband was in charge of
the super structure of these bridges. He was killed in an accident. I
still do not know if it was a hand grenade that killed him or if it was
an accident.
But the peace process has to be started. We cannot follow
the violent path. Assamese civilization will be destroyed if these
killings don�t come to an end. So, I request the outfit to shun violence
and come to the discussion table. We have seen enough bloodshed.
Hopefully, a new peaceful atmosphere will prevail in Assam as well as
the whole of the North-east.
TS : There was some controversy regarding the phone tapping
issue....
IG : Yes, the Delhi Police had tapped my phone on many
occasions. I came to know about it when a person, probably from the
Intelligence, called me up one fine day and told me that he was jobless
and wanted to join the ULFA. He spoke to me in broken Assamese. When I
rebuffed him saying "who do you think you are talking to," he hung up
the phone. I was pretty sure that it was the work of the Intelligence
with the help of Delhi Police. It was a long time back when a high
official of the Eastern Command, Tezpur, became very friendly with me
just to find out the whereabouts of ULFA cadres. He tried to persuade me
in many a way. When he found out that I won�t oblige him, our friendship
came to a halt from that moment itself.
TS : Do you think there is any internal rift within the
ULFA? There have been speculations regarding a rift between Paresh
Baruah and Arabinda Rajkhowa.
IG : I don�t think there is any rift now between Paresh
Baruah and Arabinda Rajkhowa. Both have high regards for each other.
There may have been some internal rift sometime ago. That was the time
when many innocent people like Sanjoy Ghosh were killed. This is my
personal belief. I don�t know for sure if there was any
(rift).
TS : What is the present position of the peace process? The
Government has already sent the formal invitation to Arabinda
Rajkhowa?
IG : The invitation had been dispatched from here (Delhi) on
the June 1, 2005 and had reached Guwahati the next day. But due to some
unavoidable circumstances the invitation was lying there in Dispur till
June 8. At 9 p.m. on that day the invitation was dispatched from
Dispur.
TS : When will the outfit reply? Will there be a positive
outcome?
IG : I hope that a reply from Arabinda Rajkhowa will come to
me within 4-5 days. Yes, I truly hope that there will be some positive
outcome. There has been enough of bloodshed. The people of Assam want
peace. The path is set for the peace process to start.
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