From Sandeep Sharma
GUWAHATI: National Liberation Front of Bodoland (NLFB) chief M Batha alias Binod Mushahary on Friday took a big U-turn regarding his surrender.
Batha informed that he has not surrendered to the government but has just announced a ceasefire with the government for peace talks.
More than 20 members of the NLFB, a five-month-old extremist group, surrendered in Udalguri district on Thursday.
The extremists who laid down their arms at the Lalpani police station included NLFB chief M. Batha alias Binod Mushahary and top leaders B. Bidai and B. Birkhang.
The extremists, who had been hiding in the jungles of Arunachal Pradesh, surrendered in the presence of Bodoland Territorial Council chief Pramod Boro, water resources minister Pijush Hazarika, chief minister’s political secretary Jayanta Malla Baruah and special DGP (law and order) GP Singh.
“We have not surrendered. Many people have got the wrong notion that we have surrendered, which is not true. We are at a ceasefire till the talks on the implementation of BTR are a success. We also demand freedom for all our members who are in jail.” Batha told reporters here.
The NLFB chief also informed that a total of 22 NLFB cadres have come for the peace talks.
“I will disband the NLFB if the implementation of BTR is fruitful. More than 200 more cadres of NLFB will come for the peace talks. However, we have not decided any time limit for the peace talks”, he said.
Asserting that their surrender is up to the chief minister, Batha further said, “It is up to the chief minister whether he wants to finish the peace talks within two months or wants to extend it to two years or five years. We have a total of more than 200 NLFB cadres and are ready to come to the mainstream if the implementation of BTR becomes a success.”
The NLFB chief had held negotiation talks with Assam Police in Udalguri on Thursday in the presence of special DGP GP Singh and peace mediators Thulunga Basumatary and Prithviraj Narayan Dev Mech.
After the meeting, NLFB released a statement stating that the militant organization had decided to come overground and join the mainstream.
“We would like to publicly declare that respecting upon the call of the Hon’ble CM and the initiatives taken under the guidance of the special DGP GP Singh and other concerned authorities of the Assam Police, our organisation NLFB has decided to come overground and join the mainstream onwards for the best interest of the state and for upholding the peace and integrity of the region,” the release stated.
Reacting to Batha’s statement, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Surrender or ceasefire, that’s not the issue. The matter is that they have come to join the peace process and we will ensure that. From today, the entire western Assam-from Guwahati to Kokrajhar, is militancy free.”
