However, the police and paramilitary force personnel are being deployed heavily in Bihu cultural function venues all over the state to prevent any untoward incidents that may be engineered by the ULFA out of frustration.
Assam's most important and popular festival Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu which heralds the Assamese New Year began in Guwahati on Friday amid traditional revelry and gaiety.
As Assam celebrated Rongali Bihu (spring festival) Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi took the opportunity to make a renewed appeal to armed insurgents groups still at large to come forward for dialogue with the government.
Political parties in Assam, barring the Congress, and the state government employees have voiced unhappiness over the poll dates announced by the Election Commission for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections as those coincide with celebration of Rongali Bihu, the Spring Festival in the state.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party will win more than 300 Lok Sabha seats across the country in next year's general elections and return to power for the third consecutive term with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm.
In an e-mail to PTI on Thursday, ULFA assistant publicity secretary Arunudoy Asom said "We urge the singers to keep away from singing Hindi songs and the dancers to also refrain from dancing to such songs. We have noticed that some singers first sing Hindi songs when the audience make requests for Bihu songs."
Pradip Gogoi, arrested on April 8, 1998, is in judicial custody at the central jail in Guwahati, Anup Chetia, who was held in Dhaka on December 21, 1997, is still in detention in Bangladesh. Ideologue Buragohain is now in Tezpur jail, Sonitpur. On December 4, Rajkhowa and Raju Barua were arrested by Border Security Force men.
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The home ministry asked the state governments and UT administrations to inform it about different aspects of the lockdown and whether there are necessities to give exemptions to some more categories of people and services from the restrictions, a home ministry official said.
Over 73.44 lakh voters exercised their franchise in 10,592 polling stations spread over 13 districts in the Barak Valley, the hill regions and parts of central and lower Assam.
A colossal musician from this part of the world, late Bhupen Hazarika describing the spring festival (Bohag Bihu) in Assam sang one of its timeless tune -- 'Bohag mathu eti ritu nohoi, nohoi Bohag ethi mah, Asomiya jatir.' Bhupen Hazarika described Bohag, as not only a season or a month but eternal the source of courage, inspiration and lifeline for the Assamese people to win over the darkness of evil.
'You had earlier sent a Prime Minister from Assam (referring to Manmohan Singh) whom people do not even remember now'
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