ULFA's threat to India's security: Snubbed out?

ULFA, quite a fancy acronym for a terrorist group operating in the North Eastern regions of India and a major aggressor in Assam stands for United Liberation Front of Asom has clearly demarcated military and political wings and has been a constant concern of military experts. ULFA was recently in news for large scale surrenders by its cadre and declaration of ceasefire by a few of their companies.

A better understanding of the current surrenders is possible with a quick re-look at the history of ULFA. From a modest beginning in 1979, it became a major sore for security experts and posed considerable threat to maintenance of law and order in states of Assam, Nagaland and other N E states. Although it posed no significant threat to territorial integrity of India due to its small cadre strength and a narrow geographical appeal, it definitely has managed to make Assam re-track on the steps of development and make it rank low in the developmental indices. Its acts of violence have constantly been aimed at undermining the state and creating terror in the minds of ordinary citizens.

The major agenda of ULFA was touted as liberation of people of Asom (or greater Assam, which includes Assam and part from surrounding states) from the clutches of Indian government and establishment of a separate homeland. ULFA Commander-in-Chief Paresh Barua has repeatedly refuted the sovereignty of Indian Constitution and has made calls of 'revolution' against the Indian Government. Although with a utopian claim of class free treatment to 'its citizens' in greater Assam, ULFA has largely fallen from grace due to its extortion based financial structure and brutal treatment to innocent civilians in its Kangaroo courts. Also its active involvement with ISI, its Bangladeshi links and the anti-Bihari stand has greatly reduced its credibility.

The government on its part to contain the ULFA menace has banned ULFA in 1990 (Incidentally even United States has placed ULFA under the 'other terrorist groups' bracket), launched 'Operation Bajrang' to crush militancy and has also sent their peace negotiator, noted Assamese litterateur Indira Goswami to accommodate ceasefire. It has also placed developmental activities to curb and cut the recruitment base for ULFA along with active and aggressive patrolling along Bangladeshi borders.

ULFA in the recent years has suffered severe set backs in its home turf with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi announcing attractive surrender schemes, loans without liability to surrendered ultras and Army going on the offensive with active support from Bhutanese government. Also the large scale influx of Bangladeshis into Assam and ULFA chief Paresh Barua who is supposed by in hiding in Bangladesh keeping mum on this issue has caused disillusionment amongst ULFA cadre. This recently led the Alpha and Charlie companies of the dreaded 28th battalion to surrender and also rumours are rife about ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa also following suit in surrendering. The pro-peace political circles and civil society has already hailed it as a major move to create peace in Assam and bring about normalcy and ULFA has on its part has played down these surrenders.

Irrespective of different take on the reasons for surrendering of ultras, the time has become rife for a peace solution in Assam and the stage is already set.

Life and Simplicity

What in life is simple? Is it a hassle free day? Is it a day without a fight with your spouse? Or is it a day without getting stuck in traffic?

Coming to think about it you realise that its not about the simplicity outside, but in contrast the simplicity inside which is of utmost importance to us. The more outside we look for simplicity the more complex it gets. Confused? Maybe an example would make it clearer.

Consider youself travelling in a bus and you feel like listening to music. You think that soothing music at this time would pull up your spirits. You take out you iPod and spend the next 10 minutes untangling the wires and then getting down to the right song and settling down. After 45 minutes (atleast for me!) you realise that the mood you wanted has never been realised may even have changed o the worse. Imagine, instead you were to just pull up the window and listen to the cold winds blowing up you face, it would have really made your day. But most of us (including me) have moved away from such simple joys in life that we no longer connect ourselves to nature or its entities.

More so with the urbanites, who ritually visit places of beauty on weekends and return home having just seen the place rather than experiencing the place. Even worse they may have ruined the place by littering it with the junk they carry around.

I think its about time we returned to nature, about time we put an end to the dualistic life we lead, time to end our self exhile from nature. Let's return to simple things in life.