Guwahati, Aug. 7: A “humiliated” Mamoni Raisom Goswami today said she would not take any more steps on “my own” to revive the stalled peace process between the Centre and Ulfa claiming that neither side seemed “interested enough” to the efforts she initiated in 2005.
Speaking to The Telegraph today, the writer-peacenik said: “It was very frustrating and humiliating for me to start and restart the process only to see it break down again and again. I have decided enough is enough. I will not take any initiative on my own. Let it come from them (Ulfa or Delhi).”
She, however, added that she was still for peace and was ready to mediate if both sides were sincere. “No side has showed the same enthusiasm as I. Let the offer come from them this time. I am ready to help in any manner possible to get the talks started,” she added.
The much-hyped peace process came to a grinding halt around mid-2007 after both sides refused to budge from their positions — Ulfa demanding that the Centre give it in writing that the issue of sovereignty of Assam would be discussed and Delhi insisting on “unconditional” talks.
The writer regretted that she “felt like she has wasted so much time pursuing the peace process. Instead, I could have devoted the time to my new novel”. Goswami, a Gnanpith Award-winning author, was the facilitator between the Ulfa-constituted People’s Consultative Group (PCG) and the Centre. The PCG, assigned the task of preparing the ground for direct talks between Ulfa and Delhi, held three rounds of talks with the Centre since 2005. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attended the first round in Delhi on October 26, 2005.
The writer also said today she had a telephone discussion with Ulfa commander-in-chief Paresh Barua recently but the militant leader was still “non-committal” about talks. ‘“Hobo, baidew, hobo (It will be done)... that’s what he told me, very vague and non-committal when I asked him ‘what about the talks’,” Goswami said.
Since the breakdown in the peace process, Ulfa has suffered some major reverses, especially when its crack force, the A and C companies of the 28 battalion led by some senior leaders, declared a ceasefire last year.
