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January 19, 2007 16:22 IST
Enraged at the renewed threat issued by the United Liberation Front of Asom against the Hindi-speaking populace in the state, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday said, "ULFA is building a castle in the air by demanding sovereignty of Assam."
Gogoi asserted that the government would involve indigenous people of the state besides the men in uniform to provide security to lives of Hindi-speaking brothers.
Talking to the media in Guwahati on Friday afternoon, Gogoi said, "Most of the Hindi-speaking people living in Assam have become part of the greater Assamese society. It is our duty to provide protection to them."
He said besides augmenting deployment of security personnel to provide protection to Hindi-speaking people, the government would form local-level peace committees and people's vigilant groups to neutralise ULFA's design against Hindi-speaking people.
Gogoi said the militant group was 'building a castle in the air' by demanding sovereignty which is neither negotiable nor supported by the people of Assam.
"Who has given the ULFA right to issue threat to a particular section of the people in the society ? They are (ULFA) definite not representative of the people of the state. The people of the state don't support ULFA's demand for sovereignty," said the chief minister who heads the unified command structure in the state.
"ULFA is serving interests of forces inimical to the interest of the country. They want Assam to remain backward, under-developed and plagued by unemployment. The cowardice killings perpetrated by the ULFA have sent wrong signals to investors showing interest to invest in the state," Gogoi said.
Regarding the security arrangements for the forthcoming National Games to be held in the state, Gogoi exuded confidence to hold the event smoothly notwithstanding ULFA triggering blasts in the city in regular intervals of late.
"We will deploy 20 companies of security forces only to guard over events related to National Games and providing security to players. In addition, there will be sufficient presence of police and paramilitary force personnel in and around the city during the event," Gogoi said.
So far not participating states have expressed unwillingness to send their sportsmen to participate in the National Games that is being held under the threat from the banned ULFA. Gogoi on Friday informed that the government had a plan in place to provide security escort to national games participants as soon as they enter the territory of Assam.
Meanwhile, people in Guwahati have come out on the street to denounce the inhuman killings of innocents perpetrated by the banned ULFA. Many leading people's organisations in the state including the All Assam Students Union, Asom Sahitya Sabha have condemned the killings of innocent people by the militant group.
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