'India is a mature state. This is not an era to take up guns': Top ULFA leader's BIG message

New Delhi: There was a time when dreaded ULFA leader Sashadhar Choudhury, who was also present when the historic peace accord was signed, used to say that he would give up his life but not the fight for freedom from India. Speaking exclusively to the Republic Editor-In-Chief Arnab Goswami, Choudhury said, “At that time, we thought violence was the only solution. Now, India has changed.” However, the former top boss of ULFA had one simple message for people taking up arms against the government in any corner of India, “Don't take up guns against India. You won't get anything. India is a mature state. This is not the era to take up guns.”

He had picked up the gun and led long insurgency against India for the liberation of Assam. Between 1984 and 2009, Chowdhury was a dreaded terrorist. 

Choudhury, who had joined ULFA as a teenager, said that the conditions were so tough that they were forced to take up arms against the state." During those times the north east was completely cut-off", he said, adding, "We took up arms in the wake of Assam Movement towards the beginning of the eighties. 

Choudhury revealed that he was trained near the Myanmar-China border. He used to use fake documents including Bangladeshi, Burmese and Indian passports to move around. He even travelled to Geneva with fake passport. Choudhury accepted that he had received hidden support from some countries. However, he was not ready to reveal the name of any country which was helping. He also accepted the fact that the group had received arms from traffickers while naming no country. 

In a major breakthrough, 90 per cent of ULFA, a dreaded organisation that had caused thousands of deaths in Assam in the last four decades, has finally laid down arms and signed a historic peace deal in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in New Delhi on Friday. Talking to Republic, CM Sarma said that he was optimistic that the rest of the protesting leaders, including Prashant Baruah, will be on board after the historic peace deal. "Day is not far when Paresh Baruah will also be brought to the negotiation table," CM Sarma further told Republic.