Assam Minister Praises Banned Group ULFA, Himanta Sarma Clarifies Remark

Assam minister Biswajit Daimary has sparked a row after he praised the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), saying the banned group "protected the state from outside forces for over five decades".

Daimary's remarks came during an event in Tinsukia's Kakopathar on Tuesday, and compelled Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to step in to clarify that the sports and youth welfare minister was referring to the faction led by Anup Chetia and not the banned ULFA (Independent) headed by Paresh Baruah.

"Because of the ULFA, no one had been able to lay a hand on Assam in the last 50 years," Daimary was heard saying in the video.

He said although some people may criticise ULFA, "no force could do anything to destabilise Assam only because of the underground organisation".

"The people who provided ULFA with its core leadership were from the Moran and Matak communities. Even Paresh Baruah (ULFA chief) is from the Matak community," he added.

Daimary said the state's situation in the last five decades "would have been very different without the contributions of the Moran and Matak communities".

"Only God knows what the condition of Assam would have been had the Moran and Matak people not been there," the BJP leader said.

Speaking to reporters in Tinsukia on Thursday, Sarma said he had spoken to Daimary after the remarks became a subject of discussion. He said the minister was referring to the ULFA faction that entered into peace negotiations with the government and later signed an agreement.

"Daimary told me that he was referring to the ULFA faction led by Anup Chetia, which came forward for talks and signed an agreement with the government. He was not referring to Paresh Baruah's ULFA (Independent), which remains a banned organisation," Sarma said.

Assam's Mahila Congress president Meera Borthakur Goswami said she has written to Union Minister Amit Shah, raising concerns over Daimary's comments about an organisation that has faced a ban under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

In her letter, Borthakur sought an explanation from the minister and asked the Centre to examine the full context of his speech.

She also called for clarity on whether the remarks reflected the Assam government's position on an organisation associated with a prolonged armed insurgency.

ULFA split into two factions after differences emerged over negotiations with the government. The faction led by Anup Chetia joined the peace process and signed a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Assam government. The Paresh Baruah-led ULFA (Independent) stayed away from the negotiations and continues to remain banned.