By IANS
Guwahati : A conclave of several influential organisations led by the Asom Sahitya Sabha, Assam's apex literary body, has rejected militant outfits' demand of independence for the state and urged them to find a negotiated settlement to their problems.
The two-day conclave titled Asom Maha Sanmeelan that ended Monday night called upon the central government to fix a timeframe for unconditional talks and provide safe passage to the rebel leadership for accepting such an offer.
"Assam is an integral part of India. The demand for secession (independence) from India is baseless and such demands should be abandoned. To fulfil their demands, they (militant groups) should immediately come forward for unconditional talks with the central government," a resolution adopted at the conclave said.
The conclave did not name the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), although the reference in the resolution was to the outfit.
The ULFA is a rebel group fighting for an independent Assamese homeland since 1979.
The conclave held at the behest of the Sabha was attended by powerful organisations like the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and the Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chattra Parishad (AJYCP), besides several leading citizens, journalists and academics.
"We also appeal to the government as well as the militants to shun violence and have a discussion that could yield results for lasting peace in the state," said another resolution.
"We also urge the government of India to ensure human rights of the people and see to it that no innocent civilians are harassed in the name of countering insurgency."
The conclave said if militant groups do not respond to the government's offer for talks even after providing them with safe passage, then those groups perpetrating violence or extortions should be dealt with as per the "law of the land".
The conclave was held to discuss challenges facing Assam with about 40 issues being discussed from insurgency to illegal infiltration and the growing unemployment.
"Unabated influx of illegal migrants have led to an upset in the state's demographic profile and have also threatened the indigenous Assamese population in the state," the conclave pointed out.