ULFA-PTF threaten to withdraw from cease fire agreement if Citizenship (amendment) 2016 bill is passes

United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) on May 11 threatened to withdraw from talks if Government of India (GoI) passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, reports The Telegraph. This is the first time the ULFA ‘central committee’ has spoken against the bill, defying the ceasefire rule of not speaking against GoI. The warning comes a day after sedition charges were slapped by Assam police on its member Jiten Dutta for saying that the entire Kakopathar (designated) ULFA camp would withdraw from ceasefire and take up arms if the bill is passed in Parliament. ULFA ‘general secretary’ Anup Chetia stated that ‘We will be out of peace talks if the Centre passes the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. Assam will be on fire and many will join Independent faction of ULFA (ULFA-I), which is still active’. He also added that ‘We had taken up arms with the feeling that the indigenous people of the state were in danger. We gave up arms and started peace talks. But the Centre, disregarding public protests, is going to pass the bill, another move to put the indigenous people of the state in danger. We are contacting militant groups of the Northeast who are in ceasefire on the issue. We will start a democratic movement against the bill’. Representatives of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Ranjan Daimari faction), Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF) and all militant groups of the state in ceasefire, were present at the meet. ULFA leaders said the NDFB (Progressive), also in ceasefire, had sent them a message supporting their stand on the bill.