GUWAHATI: The Ulfa hardliners' threat to punish Congress may force many party ticket aspirants to back out. Some of these aspiring MLAs hinted that they would be in the fray only if the government provided them with adequate security during the campaigning for the coming assembly elections.
Coinciding with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Assam, the anti-talks Ulfa hardliners, led by Paresh Baruah, had on Saturday threatened to punish the Congress with armed attacks for splitting their organisation. Though Singh hit out at the Ulfa hawks, saying that "people who are making such threats are living outside the country", many Congress ticket seekers appeared quite worried about their security.
"It's natural that those who want to fight the poll on a Congress ticket will be scared following the threat from the Ulfa hardliners. We appeal to the government to ensure that we have adequate security during campaign," said one of the aspirants, who has already filed his nomination for a Congress ticket.
"Security should be stepped up in the rural areas because the outfit may target these locations. Though security arrangements are more or less adequate in the urban areas, the government should review the system ahead of the elections," said another Congress ticket seeker.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, however, made it clear that the ruling Congress would never be cowed down to threats by the Ulfa hardliners. "Threats to our leaders and workers by Ulfa are nothing new. Let me make it very clear that we shall never be cowed down by such threats of attacks on our lives," he said.
"In almost every election Ulfa threatened us and even called the people of Assam to reject the Congress. But despite such threats, the people of Assam rejected their call and voted us to power twice since 2001," Gogoi said.
In an e-mail sent to media houses here on Saturday, the Ulfa hardliners' publicity in-charge, Arunodoy Duhotia had warned to attack Congress during the election campaign. "We will protest with arms against the Congress's divide-and-rule-policy. We ask people to keep a safe distance from the party's poll meetings because we do not want to harm them," Duhotia said.
In another mail sent to the media on Sunday, the Ulfa hawks said some of the pro-talks cadres, who came for dialogue led by Arabinda Rajkhowa, were threatening the hardliners' kin in Sivasagar district.
TOI
Coinciding with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Assam, the anti-talks Ulfa hardliners, led by Paresh Baruah, had on Saturday threatened to punish the Congress with armed attacks for splitting their organisation. Though Singh hit out at the Ulfa hawks, saying that "people who are making such threats are living outside the country", many Congress ticket seekers appeared quite worried about their security.
"It's natural that those who want to fight the poll on a Congress ticket will be scared following the threat from the Ulfa hardliners. We appeal to the government to ensure that we have adequate security during campaign," said one of the aspirants, who has already filed his nomination for a Congress ticket.
"Security should be stepped up in the rural areas because the outfit may target these locations. Though security arrangements are more or less adequate in the urban areas, the government should review the system ahead of the elections," said another Congress ticket seeker.
Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, however, made it clear that the ruling Congress would never be cowed down to threats by the Ulfa hardliners. "Threats to our leaders and workers by Ulfa are nothing new. Let me make it very clear that we shall never be cowed down by such threats of attacks on our lives," he said.
"In almost every election Ulfa threatened us and even called the people of Assam to reject the Congress. But despite such threats, the people of Assam rejected their call and voted us to power twice since 2001," Gogoi said.
In an e-mail sent to media houses here on Saturday, the Ulfa hardliners' publicity in-charge, Arunodoy Duhotia had warned to attack Congress during the election campaign. "We will protest with arms against the Congress's divide-and-rule-policy. We ask people to keep a safe distance from the party's poll meetings because we do not want to harm them," Duhotia said.
In another mail sent to the media on Sunday, the Ulfa hawks said some of the pro-talks cadres, who came for dialogue led by Arabinda Rajkhowa, were threatening the hardliners' kin in Sivasagar district.
TOI
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