PM said there would be no compromise if ULFA resorted to violence, but doors for dialogue were open if the banned outfit abjured it.
Updated at 5 pm
DIBRUGARH (Assam): In a tough message to the United Liberation Front of Asom, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said that there would be no compromise if it resorted to violence, but the doors for dialogue were open if the banned outfit abjured it.
"ULFA resorted to shameless and gruesome acts of terror and there will be no compromise with these groups if they resort to violence. At the same time, I would like to iterate that the doors for dialogue are open to all disaffected groups, including ULFA, who are willing to abjure violence," Singh told a press conference at the Mohanbari Airport near here.
The prime minister said there was a very large constituency for peace and delegations from all shades of political opinion had met in Delhi and asked for establishment of peace in Assam.
"Surveys are repeatedly showing that there is absolutely no support in Assam for acts of violence and terror. There is a surge of anti-ULFA sentiment. People want to get on with their lives and improve their lot rather than be victims of fear and terror," he said.
The prime minister said his message for the people of Assam was that the Centre was firm in its resolve to work with the people and the state government to ensure that terrorist outfits did not succeed in their nefarious designs.
He was speaking after visiting some areas in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts, where together with other upper Assam districts, the ULFA had killed 70 Hindi-speaking migrants in four days since January 5.
Singh said that the killings were done in a cold-blooded and brutal manner and the victims were simple, law-abiding daily wage earners who had come from other parts of the country, including Bihar, to contribute and also to benefit from the local economy.
He said that it was with peace in mind that an initiative was taken to have talks with the ULFA. ''We sent feelers to them and engaged in discussions with concerned citizens in the Peoples' Consultative Group.
''For a while, we thought that we are making some progress. We had three rounds of discussions and we created an atmosphere conducive to talks. However, when it came to direct talks with ULFA, things came to a standstill. Instead of making headway, a mindless cycle of violence has restarted and innocent people are being killed in the last few days,'' he said.
''I will once again reiterate that no one should mistake our openness for talks and dialogue as a sign of weakness. The Indian state has an obligation to provide security and protect the lives of its law-abiding citizens. This we will discharge, let there be no doubt on that score,'' Singh said.
At the same time, the Indian state could accommodate a diversity of opinion and provide scope for meeting a range of needs and aspirations and allow many cultures and identities to exist, he said.
''I am sure that if we persist with the process of dialogue, a solution can certainly be found in Assam just as it has been found for many other groups and entities,'' the prime minister asserted.
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