Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday appealed to the people of Assam to persuade the outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) to give up insurgency and violence and join the mainstream for speedy development of the state.

“Continued activities of insurgent groups create a climate of fear and insecurity not conducive to rapid economic development and new investment in Assam and other North-Eastern states. It is, therefore, essential for all citizens of Assam to use their collective wisdom to persuade the ULFA to give up the path of insurgency and confrontation,” the Prime Minister said in his speech that was read out in absentia after he failed to land at Nagaon for a public meeting.

Urging the ULFA to give up the bullet for the ballot, Singh said all grievances of the people could be addressed in a democratic set-up. “I have said on a number of occasions that power in a democracy flows from the ballot rather than from the bullet and that all grievances of the people of Assam can be addressed effectively in our democratic polity. I, therefore, call upon the ULFA to join the national mainstream and work with all of us for rapid social and economic development of Assam,” he said.

The Prime Minister had left for Nagaon to address a gathering but had to return to the state capital because the special IAF aircraft could not land due to bad weather. Singh will attend a function at the IIT on Tuesday and will also lay the foundation stone of a new university at Kokrajhar before flying back to New Delhi.

... contd.