Confronting the State: ULFA′s Quest for Sovereignty (SAGE Studies on India′s North East)

Confronting the State: ULFA s Quest for Sovereignty examines the complex nuances and dynamics that make ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) a formidable insurgent group in India. It argues that to understand the phenomenon of insurgency, one has to understand the genesis of conflict between the Indian State and the state of Assam right from the very inception of the nation-state. The author claims that the ideological and identity issues between India and Assam have remained unresolved and ULFA is a manifestation of that unresolved crisis. He explains that ULFA represents a mindset, a suppressed voice, which is deeply engrained in Assam s psyche. The declining support base of ULFA is not to be seen in its numerical strength; it represents the unmet aspirations of the tribal and ethnic groups of Assam. The book tries to go beyond a ULFA-centric solution and dwells upon the issues of illegal migration, human development and the need for the protection of a composite society in Assam. It also deals with the 2012 (July September) violent conflict in Bodoland over the issue of illegal migration and quest for a homogenous homeland. It tries to bring forward a framework of durable solution to the illegal migration issue in the state by contesting the existing discourse. From Nationalism to Secessionism : Transformation of Assamese Identity -- Assam Movement : Laying the Foundation of an Armed Struggle -- Periodising ULFA's Metamorphosis : From Liberator to War Lord -- Parag Das : The Ideologue -- "ULFOcide," State Terror and Truncated Democracy -- What keeps ULFA Going : Endogenous and Exogenous Factors -- What Sustains ULFA? -- ULFA in International Network : From Grievances to Greed -- Peace Process with ULFA, Civil Society and the Indian State -- Confronting the State : Exploring Ways for Sustainable Peace -- Re-visiting Immigration and Identity : Issues of Human Security, Development and Sustainable Peace The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) marks a new saga of armed rebellion in North East India. This book examines the complex nuances and dynamics that have gone into the making of ULFA as one of the most formidable armed organisations in the country. It argues that while perceiving the phenomenon of insurgency, one has to understand the genesis of conflict between the Indian State and the North East right from the very inception of the nation-state Examines the complex nuances and dynamics that make ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) a formidable insurgent group in India. This title argues that to understand the phenomenon of insurgency, one has to understand the genesis of conflict between the Indian State and the state of Assam right from the very inception of the nation-state.