Govt seriously considering ULFA demands, Rijiju assures final solution 'very soon'

Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said most of the demands of the pro-talk faction of the ULFA are “worth considering” and a final solution is expected “very soon”.

“The peace talks with the Arabinda Rajkhowa faction of the ULFA is going on very well and with confidence. We genuinely feel that maximum demands by the pro-talk Arabinda Rajkhowa faction are worth considering,” the minister of state for home affairs told reporters in Guwahati.

He, however, declined to comment on details, but said: “I can only say that we are giving a serious consideration to their demands for a final solution very soon”.

When asked about when the solution can be expected, he said “we cannot give any timeline.

Asked specifically whether the ULFA’s prime demand for sovereignty of Assam is negotiated during the talks, Rijiju said “there is no question of sovereignty at all. If sovereignty, there cannot be any talk. The talk is within the framework of the Indian Constitution”.

“I am not even mandated to speak anything which is beyond the Indian Constitution,” he said.

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