Guwahati: The banned ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom) has claimed responsibility for blasts in five places in Assam since Saturday saying it was in response to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's call for ceasefire.

A caller, identifying himself as ULFA Commander-in-Chief Paresh Barua, told a local daily over telephone in Guwahati last night that they were responsible for the blasts in Jagiroad and Baihata Chariali on Saturday and in Sibsagar and Tinsukia on Sunday.

Barua also said the ''explosions are an answer to Tarun Gogoi's ceasefire call''.

The ULFA had already rejected the Chief Minister's conditional ceasefire offer but had said it would consider a proposal of talks with the Centre only if it came out with a ''written commitment to discuss the sovereignty issue''.

Barua had earlier said that the Chief Minister was just the head of a ''puppet Government put into place by the Centre and he had no authority to present an offer of ceasefire.''

Assam Government on September 30 had offered conditional ceasefire provided the banned outfit stops all violence and had asked the ULFA to respond within a fortnight so that ceasefire can be declared from October 16.