Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma invites ULFA (I) leader Paresh Baruah to Assam

Digital Desk: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday invited Paresh Baruah, the leader of the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I), to visit the state for a week and "see the development" throughout it over the years.

Talking to reporters, Chief Minister Sarma said, “Paresh Baruah is an intelligent and educated man. If he visits the state and spends seven days here, he will see the development that the state has gone through over the years. I have invited him as a guest and not for peace talks.”

Paresh Baruah is the military chief of the ULFA (I), an armed separatist group working for Assam's independence from the Indian Union.

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Presently, Baruah is believed to be staying in Yunnan province of China, where the Ministry of State Security (MSS) provides him with funds and support.

Baruah, one of the most wanted militant leaders, had previously declared that the organization wouldn't give up the topic of sovereignty.

After taking office in May 2021, the Chief Minister invited the ULFA (I) to come forward and sit for talks.

However, Chief Minister Sarma had made it clear that Paresh Baruah would have to give up his quest for statehood before peace talks with the illegal group could proceed. Sarma has also pleaded with the citizens of Assam to put moral pressure on Baruah to drop his claim for absolute power.

The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), which the government outlawed in 1990 because it was a terrorist organization, is also listed as a group of concern by the US Department of State.