GUWAHATI, Nov 16: Assam were 136 for 5 in reply to Jharkhand?s 194 all out in the Polly Umbrigar under-15 East Zone cricket tournament being played at Cooperative College Ground in Jharkhand today. Batting first on the first day of the three-day match, the hosts scored the total riding on useful contributions of 48 and 30 from the blades of S Srivastav and N Sinha respectively.
Bikram Chetry was the main wicket-taker for Assam who clinched six wickets giving ayaw 50 runs. Roshan Das was the other spearhead who claimed three wickets for 30 runs. The tourists? Rishab Das (45) and Parthajit Baishya (34) were the top scorers.aNEW DELHI, Nov 16 ? Jnanpith awardee and noted scholar Dr Mamoni Raisom Goswami today said that she has a message albeit a subtle one to convey to outlawed ULFA in relation to their offer for dialogue. The litterateur, however, declined to divulge the content of the message on the ground that it was too sensitive to be discussed. ?They (Central Government) would not like it if I disclose everything,? she said.
Dr Goswami said this after her 45-minute-long meeting with Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, at his South Block office. She described her meeting with the Prime Minister as positive, asserting that he was very keen on solving the problem.
Later talking to this newspaper, the writer revealed that she has something to convey to the ULFA. But in the same breath added that the Prime Minister has not responded to her appeal either way, though she was hopeful of a positive response.
However, she indicated that the entire process might take a while as the Prime Minister wanted to discuss her appeal with experts before formally responding to it. ?Nonetheless, the ball has been set rolling today on the process that has been stalled for the past 25 years,? she commented.
Though the commander-in-chief of ULFA, Paresh Baruah, has not contacted her for sometime, she got a call from the outfit last night, when she briefed them about the outcome of her meeting with Prime Minister?s security adviser, MK Narayanan. She was expecting more calls from the outfit.
The much-awaited meeting between Dr Goswami and the Prime Minister saw the academician formally handing over her appeal. Congress Working Committee (CWC) and in-charge for Assam, Digvijay Singh was roped in by the Prime Minister and he met him minutes before his meeting with Dr Goswami. However, the meeting between Dr Goswami and the Prime Minister was one-to-one.
Presence of former MP Chief Minister in the PMO reflects that Dr Singh wants to keep the Party on board in this sensitive issue. The AICC has already tried to put in place a coordination mechanism between the Party and the Government on the issue and has nominated Aziz Qureshi to interact with the Jnanpith awardee.
Meanwhile, Dr Goswami said that the Prime Minister was very serious about solving the problem. ?He (Dr Singh) went through my appeal and remarked that it was fine,? she said.
?The Prime Minister wants to first consult his experts and prepare the modalities before he makes his next move,? Dr Goswami said.
The litterateur reiterated that the ULFA was willing to come for discussion provided the Government of India did not have any preconditions. Though the discussions itself could be unconditional the core subject of dialogue should be sovereignty, Dr Goswami said. ?They are willing to come and they will come if the talks are held unconditionally,? she said.
When asked about the Prime Minister?s reaction, she said he should not be expected to react instantly as he needed to discuss the issue with experts first. She said that it was her endeavour to explain to the Prime Minister that there was no harm in calling the ULFA boys for talks and listening to what they had to say about their demand for sovereignty. ?Rigidity on part of the Government has led to a stalemate that has dragged on for years.
?It?s time to end the stalemate and resolve the problem. The struggle has cost Assam dear and some 5000 boys have been killed,? she said.
Meanwhile, CWC member Digvijay Singh insisted that that the sovereignty of the country cannot be compromised with. ?We will be very happy if they come for discussions without any pre-conditions,? said Singh, who accompanied Dr Goswami out of the PMO. He further added that the State Government would not have objection if the Central Government took the lead in initiating dialogue with ULFA.
ULFA wants formal invitation: The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) wants a written invitation from the Government of India to come for talks. This was conveyed to Dr Mamoni Raisom Goswami by the ULFA commander-in-chief, Paresh Barua. Dr Goswami this evening briefed Barua over telephone about her discussion with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh about the parleys with the ULFA.
Meanwhile, the Congress general secretary in-charge of Assam, Digvijay Singh, also met Dr Goswami in the evening, and assured all possible help from the party to bring the ULFA for talks. ? Our Staff Correspondent