Guwahati, Jan 11 :With the top United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) are behind the bars the people of Assam are hoping that 2010 would be peaceful and prosperous. The common mandate is geared towards peace and development in the region.

The people of Assam welcome the year 2010 in a novel way. Various social organizations, NGOs, youth and students’ bodies, under the aegis of Journalist Federation of Assam held a peace rally in Guwahati.

They asked the rebel groups, including ULFA and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), to announce ceasefire and surrender their arms by January 26 for the sake of peace and prosperity.

The demonstrators asked the militant outfits to discard their demands like `Swadhin Asom’, Swadhin Bodoland’, and conduct talks with the government. They said the people of Assam are “proud of being Indians.”

According the Journalist Federation of Assam Advisor, Jatindra Kumar Borgohan the organizations, which are claiming that they are going to solve the problems of indigenous people of Assam, are fighting for independence and the right of self determination of the people.

“Actually, we have seen they are adopting the path of terrorism. And they are trying to get the help of foreign countries, those which are enemies of the people of Assam,” he said.

The Federation also appealed all insurgency groups in Assam as well as in the northeast region, to shun violence and come to negotiation table and begin the peace process.

“We appeal to the entire insurgency group, particularly ULFA and NDFB that by the January 26, they should shun violence and declare ceasefire and come to the peace negotiation,” Kamal Saiki of Journalist federation said.

The ULFA has suffered a setback with the arrest of the group’s top leaders, including Arabinda Rajkhowa, Raju Baruah, Chitraban Hazarika and Sacha Chaudhary.

The top ULFA leaders, who have been sent to judicial custody, are now in Guwahati Central Jail. The Assam Government has sensed that the people have lost faith in the outlawed ULFA and want peace and development in the State.

State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had said people of Assam have completely lost their faith and realized this continuous and obsessive struggle will bring more backwardness.

“It will lead to more problems in the state of Assam. And, as a result Assam will suffer more,” Gogoi had said.

The demonstrators, led by noted Assamese musician Kishore Giri, said people of Assam don’t want their next generation to aspire to violent behavior.

Parents in the rally expressed concern over the growing demand of toy guns among kids. They said they would even carry out more awareness rallies against the gun culture prevailing in Assam. (ANI)