Guwahati:
A day after ULFA's arrested 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa's asserted that he has not surrendered and will not hold talks with the government in handcuffs, the outfit's 'commander-in-chief' Paresh Baruah has termed it a "moral victory".
In an e-mailed statement to the media, Baruah said Rajkhowa had "showed strength despite mental and physical torture" when he told reporters at the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate Court premises on Saturday that he had not surrendered and would never do so.
He also said that Rajkhowa had categorically stated that talks cannot be held with him in handcuffs, and that prisoners cannot negotiate.
Baruah added that the scene at the CJM Court premises, where supporters shouted slogans in favour of the ULFA and its leaders, was also a moral victory for the outfit, "as it showed the people's support for us."
Claiming the ULFA has mass support, Baruah said, "ULFA is very much alive, our struggle will never end and the people of Assam are with us".