Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday urged the banned United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I) to stop its terrorist activities, saying it will affect investment and employment sectors in the state. The chief minister was talking about the recent bomb threats given by the ULFA-I. He said such actions could impact the Tata Group’s semiconductor manufacturing facility.
Let us tell you that a semiconductor assembly and test facility is being set up by the Tata Group at a cost of Rs 27,000 crore in Jagiroad, Assam. It is expected to create about 27,000 direct and indirect jobs. The CM said, “If a bomb had exploded in Jagiroad, the Tata plant would have been destroyed. The Tata Group has not come to Assam to set up a plant due to the availability of resources, but to support the Prime Minister’s appeal to set up industries in the Northeast.”
The banned ULFA-I had planted 24 bomb-like devices at several places in Assam, including Guwahati, on Independence Day. The outfit said the devices failed to explode due to some ‘technical fault’. Police have recovered 10 devices after a massive search operation. Several Special Investigation Teams (SITs) have been formed to investigate the incidents and two cases have been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The Assam CM appealed to ULFA-I chief Paresh Barua not to spread terror in the state. He said this would spoil the environment for industrialisation and investment in Assam. He said this would also affect the future of 19 lakh unemployed youths in the state. The CM said, “I would humbly request Barua that his fight (for Assam’s sovereignty) is with the Centre and not with the people of Assam. Therefore, he should not engage in such work (planting bombs). If even a single bomb blast takes place in Assam, the Tata Group will leave the state. If the ULFA-I wants to plant bombs, they can target my residence.”
Talking about creating employment opportunities in Assam, Sharma said that his government is not only focusing on providing government jobs but also on skill development of youth, bringing industries to the state, boosting the agriculture sector as well as other sectors like tourism to create more employment opportunities.