By Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati : As the protest against the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 is intensifying in the State, the peace-talk between the pro-talk ULFA faction and the Government of India has hit a deadlock after the former demanded to scrap the controversial Bill. As per sources, at a time when the talks between the pro-talk faction and Centre were at a crucial stage, the demand for scrapping of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill has upset Centre’s plan. Pro-talk ULFA faction, led by its chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, on May 21 held a meeting with Centre’s interlocutor AB Mathur in New Delhi. ULFA leader Anup Chetia and others were also present at the meeting. Pro-talk ULFA leaders stated that though the demand for scrapping of the Bill was not part of the original charter of demands submitted to the Government of India, they have placed the fresh demand later. They also shared that rest of their demands have more or less been settled. In the recent past, the ULFA leaders had threatened to walk out of peace parleys if the Bill was passed by the Parliament. The leaders also mentioned that they would wait till the publication of the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) as identification and deportation of illegal migrants from Bangladesh is one of the top demands of the rebel outfit. It is worth mentioning that when the pro-talk leaders came up with their latest demand on scrapping the Bill, a draft agreement had been almost ready and they were in the process of fine-tuning it for seeking the nod of various Central ministries. Introduced on July 19 in the Lok Sabha last year, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 seeks to allow illegal migrants from minority communities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan eligible for Indian citizenship.