ULFA ?chairman? Arabinda Rajkhowa walks out to freedom

New Year?s Day brought in fresh hopes of peace returning to insurgency-riddled Assam as ULFA ?chairman? Arabinda Rajkhowa, walking out from the central jail here on bail, on Saturday expressed preparedness for unconditional talks.

?ULFA is ready for unconditional talks. A formal declaration on this will be made soon,? Rajkhowa told reporters after being released.

His bail was granted on Dec 30 and the required formalities completed on Friday.

Rajkhowa, however, said that it was necessary that all jailed ULFA leaders are released.

?Release of finance secretary Chitrabon Hazarika and foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury is necessary for starting talks with the government. The government must take steps to bring back our general secretary Anup Cheita from Bangladesh for the peace talks to start,? he added.

The rebel leader also claimed that there was no division in the ULFA on ideological links.
?There is no opposition from any ULFA member, including c-in-c Paresh Barua, to political resolution of the India-Assam conflict,? Rajkhowa asserted.

He also expressed his gratitude to the Jatiya Abhibartan for placing before the government the public?s great longing for peace and the government paving the way for the outfit?s leaders to start talks and bring back peace.

?We are also grateful to our lawyers and the court for the release,? he added.

Thousands of people are expected to felicitate Rajkhowa on way home and a massive feast has been organized at Lakuwa in Sivsagar district to welcome home the son. Rajkhowa was handed over to Indian authorities by Bangladesh in December, 2009.