Dibrugarh, April 21: Residents of Jeraigaon, the village from which Ulfa ?commander-in-chief? Paresh Barua and general secretary Anup Chetia hail, have invited writer Mamoni Raisom Goswami and chief minister Tarun Gogoi to their Bihu festivities.
This invitation is part of their ?quiet? push towards bringing the banned outfit to the negotiating table. What has whetted the enthusiasm of the people of Jeraigaon is the fact that the Bihu celebrations this year are enjoying their silver jubilee.
Goswami has been acting as a bridge between the Centre and the Ulfa to break the ice. However, her efforts so far have failed to yield any tangible result, with both sides remaining firm on their respective positions.
?We have invited both chief minister Tarun Gogoi and novelist Mamoni Raisom Goswami as chief guests to our three-day-long Bihu celebrations, which get under way from May 13. We don?t want any more blood to be shed, whether of Ulfa activists or those involved in counter-insurgency operations,? said Bikul Barua, brother of Paresh Barua.
Bikul is also the general secretary of the Rongali Bihu celebrations in the village.
The move to rope in Goswami during Bihu began earlier this year, when the Jnanpith award winner visited Jeraigaon. During her visit, Goswami had sought the blessings of the Ulfa chief?s octogenarian mother Miliki Barua.?We are happy that Mamoni baideo had accepted our invitation. She is trying hard to bring peace and all of us in the village are praying hard for her success,? Barua added. ?By inviting her and Tarun Gogoi, we are also sending a message to the Ulfa that we stand solidly behind the peace efforts,? he said.
?These Bihu celebrations hold many memories for us and are of larger significance for the entire village. Both Paresh and Anup had played a major role during the earlier stages of the festival celebrations. After that, they left for the jungles,? said another villager requesting anonymity.
Several organisations have come forward to render their help at the three-day Bihu celebrations in the village.
