New Delhi: The Centre and the Assam Government will hold a meeting with the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) to prepare the ground rules for declaration of ceasefire jointly, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said today (Nov 1, 2004).

After the NDFB declares unilateral ceasefire, the Centre and the State Government would sit together with the Front leaders to draft the ground rules for ceasefire, Gogoi said, briefing reporters after his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Gogoi, who apprised the Prime Minister of the steps taken by his Government to deal with insurgency in the State, said that in view of the unilateral ceasefire announced by NDFB, the State Government had instructed the security forces to "slow down operations" against them.

The Chief Minister said that despite ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom) instructing its cadres to attack Congressmen, the State Government was not against holding talks with them and wished that they would come forward to the negotiating table without any condition like some other northeastern insurgent groups.

"Threat from ULFA has always been there and thousands of Congressmen have been killed," he said.

He also said that noted Assamese litterateur Indira R Goswami was in the national capital to convey to the Prime Minister the views of ULFA on negotiations.