By Manish Chand
On Board Air India One, Jan 15 (IANS) Hours before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh goes to Assam Tuesday, he came down heavily on the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) insurgents and their resorting to violence and said that there will be "no compromise" in dealing with them.
Conveying his anguish at the slaughter of over 70 people, mostly Hindi speaking, by ULFA militants in the state earlier this month, he said that the government would ensure that the people of Assam irrespective of their origin are "safe and secure" in the state.
Speaking to reporters while returning to India after attending the India-ASEAN and East Asia Summits, Manmohan Singh repudiated the culture of gun or violence in Assam saying, "All problems can be resolved through dialogue and discussion."
"The message that I have for the people of Assam is that the government of India is firm in its resolve to work with the state government and people to ensure that terrorist groups do not succeed in their nefarious designs.
"There will be no compromise with these insurgent groups and at the same time, I wish to emphasise that all problems of any group can be sorted out through dialogue and discussion.
"Therefore there is no scope for any group to have recourse to violence to express its point of view. We will work with the government of Assam to ensure that all people in Assam, whether Hindi speaking or speaking other languages are totally safe and secure," the prime minister stressed.